§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to his answer of 3 March 1998,Official Report, column 539, if he will make it his policy to collect information on the numbers of barristers from the ethnic minorities on the panels he uses for common law and chancery work. [33376]
The Attorney-GeneralI have set up a working party to review how appointments of counsel concerned with the Crown's civil work are made, to consider monitoring of the use of counsel once appointed and to make recommendations to me. The working party, which is being chaired by the Solicitor-General and includes two representatives of the General Council of the Bar of England and Wales, will consider specifically whether a formal data collection mechanism should be established. After the working party has reported to me, I shall consider their recommendations and I shall announce any changes in policy which I propose to implement.