HC Deb 01 March 1995 vol 255 cc570-1W
Mr. Gareth Wardell

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list(a) the percentage of civil cases considered by the Court of Appeal that were successful and (b) the percentage of civil cases in which (i) the successful party was British and (ii) the unsuccessful party was foreign for each of the last five years.

Mr. John M. Taylor

The percentage of civil appeal cases disposed of by the Court of Appeal that were successful in each legal year from 1989–90 to 1993–94 inclusive was 25.5, 26.1, 27.9, 27.8 and 28.7 respectively.

Information relating to the nationality of parties is not recorded.

Mr. Gareth Wardell

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will give the arithmetic mean of the ages of the current judges that hear civil appeal cases in the Court of Appeal.

Mr. John M. Taylor

The arithmetic mean of the ages of the Master of the Rolls, the president of the family division, the vice-chancellor and the lords justices of appeal is 63. This figure is based on the judges in post on 27 February 1995, and their ages on that date. Lords justices are, of course, available to sit in both the civil and criminal divisions of the Court of Appeal. They are occasionally assisted by serving High Court judges and retired lords justices of appeal.

Mr. Gareth Wardell

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make it his policy to collate information on the number of civil appeals unsuccessful in the Court of Appeal for which applications for leave of appeal to the House of Lords were refused.

Mr. John M. Taylor

I have no plans to do so. As the hon. Member will know, information on the outcome of petitions to the House of Lords for leave to appeal to that House is available.

Mr. Gareth Wardell

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what system he employs to check on the performance of judges who hear cases in the Court of Appeal.

Mr. John M. Taylor

The Lord Chancellor attaches the highest importance to the constitutional principle of judicial independence. He has established no procedures for monitoring the performance of the full-time judiciary. Recourse from a judicial decision in the Court of Appeal properly lies through the normal appeal process to the House of Lords.