§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans he has to introduce(a) training programmes and (b) examinations for judges, with particular reference to shorthand for use during court proceedings. [141873]
§ Mr. LeslieJudicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial Studies Board (JSB), an independent body chaired by Lord Justice Keene. The JSB already provides a full programme of training for judges. It has354W no plans to provide training in shorthand. Neither are there plans to introduce formal examinations for the judiciary. An appraisal system is, however, already in place for a number of part-time judicial post-holders.