§ 23. Keith Vaz (Leicester, East)How many judicial appointments the Lord Chancellor has made since 15 June. [128467]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (Mr. Christopher Leslie)Since the Lord Chancellor was appointed on 12 June, he has made or recommended 435 appointments.
§ Keith VazMay I, through the Minister, congratulate the Lord Chancellor on his assiduousness in appointing so many people, under a system that the Minister has today accepted is flawed? Given the evidence that the Lord Chancellor gave to the Select Committee, in which he said that he wanted to see a new breed of person appointed to the Bench, could the Minister tell the House how many of those 400-odd appointments accurately reflect the Lord Chancellor's views?
§ Mr. LeslieEach of the appointments made is of the highest calibre. I would say not that the current appointments system is flawed, but that there are anachronistic elements, in so far as the system manifestly involves politicians. I believe that we should move away from that state of affairs. There are a large number of appointments, but it is certainly true that different types of people have been appointed, most of whom are magistrates. When the annual report on judicial appointments is published, it will include more detail about the nature of the people appointed.