§ Mr. McFallTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to(a) allow pursuers/defenders to choose an appropriate member of the judiciary to hear their case, (b) ensure that the judge in each case has an appropriate expertise in the areas of law raised by that case and (c) initiate a wide consultation on the level of judicial salaries. [12089]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonIn relation to parts(a) and (b) of the question, there are no plans to alter the current arrangements whereby the allocation of judges and sheriffs to particular cases is entirely a matter for the Lord President of the Court of Session or the appropriate sheriff principal. Within our current system there are opportunities for individual sheriffs and judges with particular expertise to be allocated to specific items of business. On part (c), judicial salaries are determined by the Senior Salaries Review Body and there are no plans to change these arrangements.