20, of SCC from 26 to 37, and to decrease CC from 72 to 56. The increased wage bill (including gratuities) would be in the order of $750,000 on a total såary bill of over $19 million.
(c) PCC (DJL3: $16,200), at present the same as
District Court Judge, should be raised to DJL4 ($17,500) to provide (i) an incentive to the abler APCC to remain within Chambers rather than go into the Judiciary, (ii) recognition of the undoubted fact that the legal work of PCC (the Deputies to the Law Officers) is usually, on a day to day basis, morė difficult and important than that of a District Judge and at least equivalent to that of the Registrar of the Supreme Court, whilst the management content of their work supervising about 20 lawyers each is not inconsiderable. The total annual wage cost (including gratuities) would be $124,200.
(a)
(e)
(f)
If the Attorney General is to have proper time occas- ionally to go into court on important cases, and to devote his personal as opposed to supervisory attention to the most serious legal problems of Government, and to be available for informal consultation with the Chief Justice, Secretaries, the Police and ICAC Commissioners, as well as to play a proper part in ExCo and LegCo, the Umelco/Capo and ICAC Advisory Committees, various important ad hoc Working Groups, and so on, as well as being, in effect senior partner of one of the largest law firms in the world then it is essential that the post of Solicitor General is revived. This post should be at the same level as the Law Officers but have no Divisional responsibility within my Chambers, working instead directly to and in close association with the AG on work delegated by him.
I would like to see one or other of the Law Officers (not always the Solicitor General) nominated as the Deputy to the Attorney General and acting during his absence. He should be remunerated at DJL6, the same as a High Court Judge, the intention being the same as in (c) above, namely to assist in the retention within Chambers of the ablest lawyers in the service. Total annual extra wage cost $24,500.
7
It would assist very materially in retaining the ablest junior counsel if all Crown Counsel after 2 years service were entitled at their option to take annual leave (with which goes retention of housing: at present after every 21 years most are forced to take 31⁄2 months leave, often during the school term, returning to hotel life and the expense of buying new curtains etc. after every leave). Operationally it would be highly desirable to have all such counsel to whom it was intended to offer a new contract taking annual leave: for the man in charge of a complicated case to be away for 31⁄2
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