HC Deb 29 June 1999 vol 334 cc129-30W
37. Mr. Baker

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what progress he is making with his policy of ensuring that membership of the judiciary is representative of society as a whole. [87553]

Mr. Vaz

The Lord Chancellor appoints or recommends for appointment on merit those candidates who satisfy the qualifications laid down by Statute and who, in his opinion, best meet the criteria for appointment. Without prejudice to this overriding principle, and in accordance with his commitment to equality of opportunity, the Lord Chancellor would like to see more women and ethnic minority practitioners appointed to the judiciary and has introduced a number of measures to encourage applications from members of those groups, including more flexible part-time sitting arrangements and a work-shadowing scheme.

39. Mr. Gareth Thomas

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to reform the method for appointment of judges. [87558]

Mr. Vaz

The Lord Chancellor keeps the arrangements for appointing judges under review. He has taken a number of steps to improve the openness, flexibility and effectiveness of the judicial appointments process. At the level of circuit judge and below, the Lord Chancellor has arranged for judicial and lay members to be involved in the selection of candidates for interview, as well as in the interviews themselves; he requires assessments of candidates to be specifically related to the criteria for appointment; he has introduced greater flexibility into the sittings arrangements for part-time judicial appointments; and he has recently introduced a scheme under which practitioners interested in applying for judicial appointment may apply to "shadow" a serving judge. He has ended the system under which appointments were made to the High Court Bench by invitation only: vacancies are now advertised and candidates may apply for appointment. All but the most senior judicial appointments are now made through a process of open and advertised competition. The Lord Chancellor will nevertheless continue to consider the scope for further improvements to the judicial appointments process.