§ 32. Mr. Gordon PrenticeWhat plans he has to make the appointment of QCs more open. [18010]
§ The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (Mr. Geoffrey Hoon)My right hon. and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor has already made the system more open. This year he is consulting more people than ever before about the suitability of candidates. Applications for silk are invited in a notice published in national newspapers and professional journals. The policies, procedures and criteria that he applies to those appointments are published each year in a guide for applicants. I have today placed a copy of the guide in the Library and it will be included on the Lord Chancellor's Department's website when it is next updated.
§ Mr. PrenticeDoes my hon. Friend understand my deep disappointment when, in October this year, the Lord Chancellor decided not to proceed with what I thought was settled Labour party policy, to bring in a judicial appointments commission? Is it not true that the Bench is a self-perpetuating oligarchy of public school and Oxbridge-educated white men and that, over the past few years, the number of applicants for silk from ethnic minorities has actually decreased? Should not there be some openness and transparency in this matter? It is not good enough for applications for silk to be decided secretly, in private, with a nod and a wink from the Lord Chancellor; we need more transparency.
§ Mr. HoonMy hon. Friend may have missed the first part of my answer. I said that my right hon. and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor had significantly extended the number of people consulted on applications for silk. He has made clear his determination that more representatives from among women and ethnic minorities attain that position. People may be appointed only once they have applied and only on the basis of merit. I am grateful to my hon. Friend for any suggestions that he may have as to how we might encourage more people, particularly from ethnic minorities, to apply for positions.