§ Lord Roberts of Conwyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any plans to submit the appointment of judges and Queen's Counsel to scrutiny by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. [HL935]
§ The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg)Judicial appointments are outside the remit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. I have, however, accepted a recommendation from Sir Leonard Peach—himself a former Commissioner for Public Appointments—that I should establish a Commission for Judicial Appointments. The new Commission will conduct an ongoing scrutiny of the procedures for making judicial and Queen's Counsel appointments, and will investigate complaints about the way those procedures have been applied in individual cases. I intend to announce the appointment of the First Commissioner this month.