High Court Judges

HC Deb 21 December 1999 vol 341 cc564-5W

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the Lord Chancellor's disciplinary powers regarding the conduct of High Court judges. [103742]

Jane Kennedy

The Lord Chancellor has no power to remove High Court judges. They can be dismissed only by the Queen following a resolution of both Houses of Parliament. But the Lord Chancellor, as head of the judiciary, is able to guide, counsel, advise or rebuke with a view to ensuring that judges uphold the standards of conduct which the public expect of them.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many High Court judges have been censured by the Lord Chancellor since May 1997. [103811]

Jane Kennedy

Since May 1997, the Lord Chancellor has seen fit to "censure" two High Court judges. In the first instance, he wrote to a judge who had used official paper for private purposes. In the second, he spoke to a judge who had re-assigned a case from one judge to another without a hearing in open court.