§ The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor (Lord Falconer of Thoroton)In May 2004 I told the House that I had asked the legal professions in England and Wales and in Northern Ireland to devise an improved scheme for appointing Queen's Counsel. I am pleased to be able to say that the Bar Council and the Law Society in England and Wales have reached agreement on a set of competences against which applicants for the QC rank should be assessed, and on an outline of the process for doing so. I have placed copies of both the competency framework and the outline process in the Library.
Considerable work still needs to be done to refine some of the details and to develop the mechanics of the assessment process. None the less, this is a very encouraging development. I congratulate the professional bodies on what they have achieved so far, and look forward to the introduction of a new and better system.
The Bar Council and Law Society in Northern Ireland are continuing to work on a similar scheme tailored to the requirements of their jurisdiction. They hope to make an announcement soon.