HC Deb 23 May 1994 vol 244 c6W
Mr. Richards

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement about equal opportunities for women and people of ethnic minority origin in relation to appointments to the professional judiciary in England and Wales.

Mr. John M. Taylor

In July last year, the Lord Chancellor announced a programme aimed at developing further the current procedures for judicial appointments, including measures to encourage applications by women and ethnic minority practitioners. In carrying out his responsibilities for the appointment of judges, the Lord Chancellor has always supported the principle of equality of opportunity and will continue to do so; the Lord Chancellor does not discriminate on grounds of gender or ethnic origin.

The Lord Chancellor sets high standards for appointments to judicial office; those appointed are selected on merit from suitably qualified candidates. The Lord Chancellor seeks to ensure that every possible step is taken to treat fairly those who apply for judicial office and that decisions are based on an assessment of suitability which is as objective as possible.

The Lord Chancellor welcomes and encourages applications from all suitably qualified legal practitioners, including women and practitioners of ethnic minority origin.

The Lord Chancellor is carrying forward his commitment to equality of opportunity in judicial appointments in the following ways:

  1. 1. Continuing to encourage women and ethnic minority practitioners to apply for judicial appointment by:—
    1. (i) promoting awareness of opportunities for judicial appointments for women and people of ethnic minority origin among senior members of the judiciary and the profession and inviting them to encourage suitably qualified women and people of ethnic minority origin. to apply; and
    2. (ii) publicising the opportunities for all to apply for judicial appointments in speeches, at meetings and by other suitable means;
  2. 2. Applying age limits for judicial appointments flexibly in the case of practitioners who take a career break or who start their professional career late;
  3. 3. Conducting reviews of all ethnic minority and female applicants for judicial appointment from time to time to ensure that suitable candidates from these groups are properly considered;
  4. 4. Ensuring that women and ethnic minority candidates are included, wherever possible, among those under consideration for particular posts;
  5. 5. Providing opportunities for familiarisation with the work involved in a judicial post for prospective applicants where appropriate;
  6. 6. Taking due account of the domestic circumstances of individuals concerned wherever possible when making appointments to particular geographical locations;
  7. 7. Recording the number of female and ethnic minority members of the full-time and part-time judiciary and taking steps to improve the information about the ethnic origin of serving office holders and applicants for judicial appointment;
  8. 8. Arranging for an official in the judicial appointment group in my Department to:—
    1. (i) act as a liaison point with others about equal opportunities matters in relation to judicial appointments; and
    2. (ii) advise on policies in this field;
  9. 9. Undertaking to keep this programme under review in the light of general developments in the field of equal opportunities and in accordance with any changes in the procedures for judicial appointments.