§ Baroness Flatherasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many members of the employed I3ar have been created Queen's Counsel or Honorary Queen's Counsel in the last five years. [HL1697]
§ The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg)In so far as departmental records show, no employed barrister, other than three public servants and five academics, has been awarded Honorary Queen's Counsel in the last five years. Employed barristers have been eligible to apply to become Queen's Counsel only from 27 September 1999 (when Section 36 of the Access to Justice Act came into force) and no employed barrister applied in either the 2000 or the 2001 competitions.