§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make it his policy to establish a judicial appointments commission. [61253]
§ Mr. HoonThe Lord Chancellor announced in October 1997 that, given the priority of other radical reforms, work on a judicial appointments commission would not proceed for the time being. He has made156W significant changes to the appointments process, including the extension of advertising of vacancies to include High Court appointments; more flexibility in part-time sitting arrangements to encourage applications, in particular from women; and an increase in the upper age limit for appointment as Assistant Recorders and lay magistrates in order to widen the field of applicants.