§ Mr. Cocksasked the Attorney-General what is the method of appointing the members of the joint advisory councils who advise the Lord Chancellor upon the appointment of magistrates; and whether any rules have been laid down governing their procedure, their times of meeting and the principles which should guide them in selecting or rejecting names submitted to them?
§ The Attorney-GeneralMembers of the Lord Chancellor's advisory committees are appointed by the Lord Chancellor himself. No formal rules have been laid down to govern their procedure or times of meeting, save that members are appointed on the express condition that the proceedings of advisory committees are strictly private and that all matters discussed at the meetings must be treated confidentially. It is a further condition of appointment that every member of an advisory committee is appointed in his personal capacity and should exercise his own unfettered judgment on the whole of the committee's recommendations. In the selection of names for submission to the Lord Chancellor members of the committee should endeavour to find those persons best qualified to administer the law, bearing also in mind the recommendations of the Royal Commission on the Selection of Justices of the Peace which reported in 1911.