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Home > Publications > Annual Reports > Judicial Appointments 7th Annual Report 2004-2005

Judicial Appointments 7th Annual Report 2004-2005

January 2006

Part One

Part one of this judicial appointments annual report gives details of: improvements and developments to the judicial appointments process; improving diversity in the judiciary; the work of the Commission for Judicial Appointments; major changes from April 2006. Some statistical information is given but this mostly this appears in part two.

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Annexes

  1. Tables showing judicial officers in post
  2. Competitions held and appointments 1 April 2004 - 30 September 2005
  3. Summary tables
  4. Competencies used at sifting stage
  5. Further information


Foreword


Lord FalconerI am pleased to present this, the seventh Judicial Appointments Annual Report which covers appointments and developments from 1 April 2004 until 30 September 2005. This was an important period for accelerating the momentum to open up the judicial appointment process and to increase diversity within the judiciary. During this period some notable results have been seen, not least during the six months between 1 April and 30 September 2005.

Between 1 April 2004 and 30 September 2005 a total of 549 appointments were made to the courts and tribunals. In addition, 2612 people were appointed as magistrates on the advice of local advisory committees (and a further 358 appointments were made within the Duchy of Lancaster, of which 151 were made by me since 1 April 2005).

Increasing diversity in the judiciary is one of my key priorities. I issued a consultation paper in October 2004 seeking views on the barriers to greater diversity in the judiciary and inviting suggestions on how these barriers might be removed or minimised. Responses to the paper were very positive and in March 2005 I announced that I was putting in place a Judicial Diversity Programme to provide a co-ordinated strategy for increasing diversity in the judiciary.

I am pleased to report that appointment results for the six months between 1 April and 30 September 2005 show a significant increase in the proportion of women and minority ethnic candidates appointed to courts and tribunals. Women candidates appointed during this time rose from 31% for the period April 2004 – March 2005 to 46% in the six months from April to September 2005. Appointments of candidates from minority ethnic backgrounds increased from 9% for 2004 – 2005 to 17%. Though the figures for the two periods are not directly comparable, as they do not cover identical appointments, the trend is clear and welcome.

There are now almost twice as many women and minority ethnic court appointments as there were ten years ago. Women are now represented at the highest levels of our judicial system. However, there is still more to do if we are to achieve a judiciary which better reflects the society it serves.

There were also a number of important improvements to the appointments process, resulting from continued work with the judiciary and other stakeholders. Key improvements were the introduction of competency-based selection for all appointments, and the pilots of assessment centre-based recruitment for recorder and Employment Tribunal appointments. These will help to ensure that suitably qualified people will have an opportunity to demonstrate that they have the necessary ability, whatever their background. This year there was also the introduction of a new consultation process for circuit judge and recorder appointments.

My role in the judicial appointments process as Lord Chancellor will change as a result of the Constitutional Reform Act receiving Royal Assent in March 2005. The Act brings significant constitutional change and modernises the way in which judicial appointments will be made by providing for a new and independent Judicial Appointments Commission.

From April 2006 the Commission will begin to select candidates for judicial appointments in England and Wales and will continue to build on the work of this Department to make judicial appointments more open and transparent. It will have a statutory role in encouraging a wider range of applicants for judicial office, while maintaining the principle that selection for appointment is on merit alone.

We can rightly be proud of the expertise, impartiality and independence of our judiciary, which is respected throughout the world. I want to maintain and sustain the independence and excellence of the judiciary. We have made progress in increasing the diversity of the judiciary, but we need to do more by ensuring that our appointments processes are as fair, open, transparent and efficient as possible. We want to see candidates in every under-represented group applying in proportion to their presence in the pool regardless of background, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation or age. I also want to continue to ensure that the best candidates are then appointed solely on merit. The annual report outlines my commitment to achieving this, in partnership with the judiciary.

Lord Chancellor's signature

Lord Falconer of Thoroton [endnote 1]
Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor
January 2006

Scope of this report

  1. This seventh Judicial Appointments Annual Report gives details of:

    • Improvements and developments to the judicial appointments process
    • Improving diversity in the judiciary
    • The work of the Commission for Judicial Appointments
    • Major changes from April 2006.

  2. The Lord Chancellor has the responsibility for appointing or for advising The Queen on the appointment of the vast majority of members of the professional judiciary in England and Wales and in Northern Ireland, as well as certain judicial office holders whose jurisdiction extends to Scotland. The Queen makes the most senior appointments on the recommendation of the Prime Minister who is advised by the Lord Chancellor. The Lord Chancellor is assisted in this work by the staff of Legal and Judicial Services Group at the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

  3. This report, like last year’s, does not give detailed results for each competition held during the period covered. Results can instead be found on the DCA website (www.dca.gov.uk). Annex A of this report contains a table showing judicial officers in post for courts. A table showing judicial officers in post in Tribunals will be published on the DCA website at a later date (www.dca.gov.uk/judicial). Annex B of this report lists all competitions held during the period, for which detailed statistics are also available on the DCA website. Annex C contains statistical summary tables for the application, interview and appointment stages of all the competitions held in this period.

Improvements and developments to the judicial appointments processes

Appointments to the High Court

  1. The latest High Court recruitment exercise was launched in February 2005. The Lord Chancellor made a number of improvements to the process used for the 2003 exercise.

  2. For the first time, only those who completed and submitted an application form were considered. A new framework of qualities and skills against which candidates were assessed replaced the previous criteria. As part of their application, candidates were invited to complete a short self-assessment against these qualities and skills.

  3. All candidates were asked to nominate between three and six consultees in their application, in addition to the limited group of automatic consultees, enabling a more consistent range of information on candidates to be collected during the consultation stage. The consultation evidence and candidate’s self-assessments were considered for the first time by assessment panels, consisting of a retired senior DCA official, a member of the senior judiciary, and an experienced lay assessor. Their assessments were discussed by the Lord Chancellor and the Judicial Heads of Division in considering the best candidates to appoint to meet the needs of the Court in filling particular vacancies.

Appointments below the High Court

  1. The Lord Chancellor proposed a number of reforms in July 2004, following extensive consultation with the judicial working group on improvements to the appointments process. This group was chaired first by Lord Justice Thomas and more recently by Lord Justice Auld. The Lord Chancellor is grateful for their valuable contributions. The group has continued to work closely with officials from the Department as improvements have been implemented.

  2. In February 2005 a diversity event was held with all levels of the judiciary and some other stakeholders, to consider how best to make judicial appointments more accessible to persons from under-represented groups and to learn from experiences in other sectors. A range of issues was discussed including the application process and also the marketing strategy for judicial appointments. The Department has fed the outcomes from this event into its improvements programme.

Competencies

  1. The generic competency framework now forms the basis of assessment in all competitions below the High Court excluding the magistracy. It sets out the range of skills and aptitudes needed by those who aspire to judicial office and is the basis for a more transparent and open process. The competency framework is adapted to meet the requirements of a particular post, and has been refined and validated this year through professional analysis of the roles of recorder, circuit judge and fee-paid chairman of the Employment Tribunals.

  2. From June 2005, we reduced the number of competencies assessed from nine to five. This will enable sift panels to focus on those competencies which yield the best evidence from self-assessment and consultation. A list of the sift stage competencies can be found at Annex D. Candidates will still be asked to provide self-assessment against all nine competencies in order to provide further material for examination at interview and this material will be considered by the sift panel.

Assessment Centres

  1. An assessment centre was developed for recorder appointments and piloted on the Western Circuit competition in February/March 2005. The centre was designed to simulate the work of a recorder as far as possible and allowed a thorough assessment of the behavioural skills of each candidate. The day involved:

    • two role play exercises where candidates took on the role of a recorder in the crown court to handle cases and make decisions
    • a written exercise in which candidates analysed case papers and documented their observations
    • a ‘technical test’ which tested knowledge of criminal law or the potential to acquire it
    • a competency-based interview which used focused questions to explore work related experiences and personal skills and abilities.

  2. A similar approach was also used to develop an assessment centre for the appointment of fee-paid chairmen of the Employment Tribunals with exercises developed specifically to simulate the work of that jurisdiction.

Judicial evidence of candidates’ capability

  1. A new judicial consultation process has been introduced for the recorder and circuit bench competitions, which aims to improve the quality of evidence and modernise the system. The new process involves presiding judges nominating up to four judges likely to know the candidate’s work. Candidates still nominate up to six consultees who provide evidence of their competence for a particular post. This more focussed system replaces the previous system of automatic judicial consultation. It allows appropriate weight to be given to judicial views on the skills and abilities of candidates, ensuring a better balance between judicial consultation and a candidate’s own referees. Those candidates who feel they have limited visibility to the judiciary are able to bring this point to the attention of the panel as part of the process.

Improving the consistency and also quality of interview panels

  1. A number of steps have been taken to improve the quality and consistency of panels and their decisions. We have:

    • strengthened training and guidance for panel members to ensure consistency in training and in understanding how to assess good quality judicial evidence
    • recruited and trained a new pool of lay interviewers
    • reviewed the list of judicial panel members with the senior judiciary
    • introduced a more structured evaluation of all the evidence on a particular candidate, using self assessment, consultation evidence and evidence from the interview or assessment centre.

Lay interviewer training

  1. Last year’s report mentioned the recruitment of a new pool of lay interviewers. The lay interviewers selected had demonstrated high-level recruitment experience and had excellent knowledge and skills in sifting and interviewing. Between July and September 2004, three awareness events were held for the new interviewers covering the structure and procedures of the Department and their roles and responsibilities. Additionally, some of the lay interviewers have participated in assessment centre-based competitions, for which they received additional training in the skills required for this type of recruitment.

Pilot appraisal for recorders

  1. In October 2003, a working group was established to look at ways in which the appointments processes could be changed to address several concerns about the quality and consistency of selection decisions and the weighting of the various types of evidence available to the panels. One of the group’s proposed reforms was an appraisal scheme for recorders that would have the potential to provide concrete and direct evidence of the extent to which a recorder had demonstrated the skills required for full-time appointment. In addition, the working group considered that recorders could benefit from the support of more senior colleagues in meeting the high standards of judicial skills and decision-making expected of them.

  2. In order to assess the feasibility of this proposal a pilot appraisal scheme for recorders was developed and run on the Northern Circuit during 2005.

Magistrates

Developments in 2004-2005

  1. Significant progress has been made on the recruitment of magistrates, some of which has taken place under the auspices of the Magistrates’ National Recruitment Strategy (MNRS). The overriding objectives of MNRS are to:

    • recruit and retain magistrates from a diverse spectrum of the population
    • raise the profile of the magistracy and dispel generally held misconceptions about its make-up and entry requirements
    • support the appointments process.

  2. Progress on magistrates over the last year has included:

    • introduction of a new streamlined process for planning and delivering recruitment campaigns, enabling DCA to provide effective targeted support to advisory committees in recruiting magistrates where they are needed. We have supported campaigns in over 30 areas since the new system was introduced in September 2005
    • rollout of a suite of professionally designed advertising and application material which helps to attract candidates and ensures that they and their employers are fully informed about the nature and value of the role of magistrate and the level of commitment required
    • implementation of a new website for potential candidates www.magistrates.gov.uk - which also contains a section for employers
    • introduction of greater flexibility to allow advisory committees to make appointment submissions at any time in the year and more than once
    • a reduction from 10 to 6 weeks in the time taken to process appointments (from submission to appointment)
    • introduction of long service certificates for magistrates with 20 years of service
    • resignation questionnaires to inform policy on retention of magistrates.

  3. Substantial work has also been undertaken to engage with employers. MNRS employer initiatives are facilitated by a working group formed by the Lord Chancellor in May 2005. The group is composed of senior representatives from leading employer bodies - the CBI, Institute of Directors, Federation of Small Businesses and Business in the Community, as well as the TUC and Magistrates’ Association. This is enabling Government to work in partnership with key players in the employment world to increase employer support for working magistrates. A number of policy initiatives are being taken forward as a result.

  4. MNRS also continued to support existing awareness raising events as shown below:

    • the successful completion of Phase 2 of the Magistrates’ Shadowing Scheme, which promotes minority ethnic engagement with the magistracy, in co-operation with Operation Black Vote and HMCS, was marked with a graduation ceremony in December 2004. Phase 3 was launched in 2005. Fifteen areas across the country will be participating in 2006
    • the Magistrates' Courts Mock Trials Competition, now in its 12th successful year, began its current cycle in September 2005. The competition is run by the Citizenship Foundation in partnership with the Magistrates' Association and sponsored by DCA. The aim of this project is to raise the profile of the magistracy amongst young people.

  5. Further work on magistrates has included:

    • reviewing and revising policies on disqualification, thereby removing unnecessary barriers to becoming a magistrate
    • re-issuing the instructions on conduct and complaints handling in the form of a step by step guide containing clear guidance and time scales for all concerned
    • preparing the groundwork, in co-operation, with Department of Trade and Industry for a legislative change on time off for magistrates in employment.

Improving diversity in the judiciary

  1. The Lord Chancellor is committed to increasing diversity in the judiciary. By ensuring that all those who have the right qualities, qualifications and experience have the opportunity for appointment on merit, regardless of gender, race, disability or other irrelevant factor, we can be sure that the best candidates are being appointed to judicial office in England and Wales. A judiciary which better reflects society will strengthen public confidence in the justice system.

The Judicial Diversity Programme

  1. As mentioned in last year’s annual report, a consultation paper, Increasing Diversity in the Judiciary, was published in October 2004 (www.dca.gov.uk/consult/judiciary/diversitycp25-04.pdf). The paper sought to identify the barriers to greater diversity in the judiciary and invited suggestions on how they might be removed or minimised. A series of twelve roadshows was held across England and Wales to raise awareness of the consultation exercise and to encourage people to respond. The consultation closed on 21 January 2005, and just over 100 responses were received. The Summary of Responses to Consultation is available on the DCA website ( www.dca.gov.uk/consult/judiciary/responsecp25-04.pdf).

  2. In his keynote speech to the Woman Lawyer Forum in London on 5 March 2005 the Lord Chancellor announced that, having considered the responses to the consultation exercise, he was putting in place a programme of work aimed at increasing diversity in the judiciary. The Judicial Diversity Programme focuses on three main areas:

    • Encouraging applications and raising awareness
    • Removing barriers to appointment
    • Ensuring that the way judicial office operates encourages and supports a more diverse judiciary.

  3. Within this framework, the Department has been taking forward a range of co-ordinated action to encourage greater diversity in the judiciary. The Lord Chancellor made two important announcements – in July and November 2005 – setting out progress on this work (www.dca.gov.uk/pubs/statements/judicialdiversity.htm and www.dca.gov.uk/speeches/2005/lc021105.htm). Initiatives the Department has put in place to increase judicial diversity include:

    • Salaried part-time working - With effect from April 2005 the opportunity to apply to sit on a part-time basis was extended to all salaried judicial office holders below High Court level. Before then it had been restricted to new entrants to salaried judicial office at district judge (civil) and tribunal judge level. Part-time working will create a more flexible working environment and promote access to judicial office by removing barriers which might discourage individuals from considering judicial appointment. A number of judicial office holders are now serving on a salaried part-time basis in both courts and tribunals.

    • Widening eligibility – The Lord Chancellor announced in July 2005 that he would widen eligibility for some judicial appointments to new categories of lawyers. He also announced his intention to replace the current statutory requirement for possession of rights of audience with a requirement for a specified number of years’ post-qualification legal experience. The specified number of years will be reduced from seven or ten (according to the judicial post concerned) to five or seven. These changes will be made as soon as parliamentary time allows.

    • Lawyer magistrates - In future those barristers and solicitors who are also justices of the peace will be able to count their magistrates’ sittings in lieu of fee-paid service when they apply for a salaried judicial appointment. This change will not require legislation. The Department is currently working up the implementation of this policy, in consultation with a working group of key stakeholders.

    • Disability – The Department has developed an action plan, in partnership with key stakeholders, to ensure that the appointments process is as accessible as possible for lawyers who have a disability and to ensure that the serving members of the judiciary who have a disability are provided with sufficient support to enable them to operate effectively.

    • Targeting solicitors – The Department is working in partnership with the Law Society on a number of initiatives aimed at encouraging solicitors to apply to become judges.

    • Return to practice – The Lord Chancellor is consulting the Judges’ Council on the issue of permitting salaried judges to return to legal practice.

    • Research - New qualitative research into why eligible female and minority ethnic lawyers do not apply for appointment has been commissioned. The findings of the research will inform the development of new initiatives to increase diversity in the judiciary.

    • Career breaks - A new Career Break Scheme will be introduced for salaried judges below High Court level.This will be of particular benefit to those with caring responsibilities.

    • Mentoring - A scheme for circuit judges to mentor district judges, to support those who want to apply for more senior judicial posts, is being piloted.

    • Encouraging applications - Work to raise awareness of the possibility of judicial appointment and the range of posts available has included publishing a booklet and DVD which give information about the appointments process and life as a judge; extending the Judicial Work Shadowing Scheme in July 2005 to include district judges (magistrates’ courts) as well as circuit judges and district judges (civil); sending out regular e-newsletters to potential applicants; holding a number of events aimed at specific under-represented groups; advertising competitions and events widely in the press and on websites; and piloting a scheme to encourage individuals to apply for appointment.

Events

  1. Events to ensure better understanding of how to apply for judicial appointment are a key part of the Department’s work to encourage people, particularly those from groups currently under-represented in the judiciary, to apply for appointment. Officials from the Department continue to organise and attend a range of events to explain the appointments process, focussing on the application process, particularly under the new competency-based framework. One to one sessions are also offered to those practitioners who wish to speak in confidence.

Judicial Work Shadowing Scheme

  1. The Judicial Work Shadowing Scheme enables solicitors and barristers who are interested in judicial appointment to shadow a circuit judge or district judge (civil) or, since the Scheme was extended in July 2005, a district judge (magistrates’ courts). The Department has been targeting publicity about the Scheme on groups currently under-represented in the judiciary, to encourage people who may not have considered that judicial office was for them to consider applying for appointment. Following the Scheme’s re-launch in March 2004 there has been a significant increase in the number of applications. During 2004-2005 123 lawyers made use of the Scheme.

Summary of appointments made between 1 April 2004 - 30 Sept 2005

  1. The tables below show the number of appointments made for the period 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005 and for the period 1 April 2005 to 30 September 2005. The appointment results for the six months between 1 April and 30 September 2005 show a significant increase in the proportion of women and ethnic minority candidates appointed to courts and tribunals. The appointment rate for women reached 46% in the six month period, compared with the previous year’s overall percentage of 31%. The percentage of minority ethnic candidates appointed was 17% compared to the previous years overall total of 9%. These figures show a very encouraging trend, although there can be no direct comparison with the previous year’s figures as they do not cover identical appointments.

Total Appointments from 1 April 2004 to March 2005

  Total Male Female White Minority
Ethnic		 Unknown
Total (23 Competitions) 335 232 103 302 303
Percentage 10069319091


Total Appointments
1 April 2005 to 30 September 05

  Total Male Female White Minority
Ethnic		 Unknown
Total (13 Competitions)21411698172366
Percentage100544680173


Total Appointments
1 April 2004 to 30 September 05

  Total Male Female White Minority
Ethnic		 Unknown
Total549348201474669
Percentage100633786122

The work of the Commission for Judicial Appointments

  1. The Commission for Judicial Appointments was established in March 2001 to audit the judicial appointments and Queen's Counsel procedures and to investigate complaints about the way those procedures have been applied in individual cases. Sir Colin Campbell was appointed First Commissioner on establishment of the Commission, and a further seven Commissioners were appointed in December 2001. The Commissioners have published four annual reports, the most recent of which was published in October 2005. The annual reports are available in electronic form on the Commission's website (www.cja.gov.uk), or in hard copy from the Commission’s office.

  2. In the year ending March 2005 the Commission referred 11 complaints to the Department for response. During the six months from April 2005 to September 2005 the Commission referred a further 10 complaints to the Department. This brought the total number of complaints referred to the Department by the Commission since it was first established (March 2001) to 60, which represents 0.34% of applications made between March 2001 and September 2005.

  3. The Department has continued to give consideration to recommendations arising from the Commissioners’ complaint and audit reports and where considered appropriate to feed recommendations into its programme of improvements to the appointments procedures. Among other things, these have contributed to strengthened training and guidance for panel members, improvements in the arrangements for candidate feedback, revised panel assessment forms and further improvements to the guidance for applicants.

Major changes from April 2006

Judicial Appointments Commission

  1. Under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 there will be wide changes in the role and responsibilities of the Lord Chancellor. These include the establishment of an independent Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) with responsibility for the process of selecting candidates for appointment as judicial office holders and a Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman who will investigate and make recommendations regarding complaints relating to judicial appointments and the handling of judicial conduct and disciplinary matters. The Commission and Ombudsman will be established in April 2006.

  2. Baroness Usha Prashar CBE was appointed by the Queen as Chairman of the JAC on 6 October 2005. The inaugural Commissioners were announced in January 2006: there are 14 Commissioners drawn from the judiciary, the legal professions, listed tribunals, the lay magistracy and the lay public. The Commission will assume responsibility for making recommendations for the appointment of judicial office holders. To ensure a smooth and effective handover of business, the Lord Chancellor has agreed with the Chairman and the Lord Chief Justice that there will be a transitional period until April 2007 during which the Lord Chancellor will retain responsibility for certain judicial appointments. The Lord Chancellor will also continue to work closely with the JAC to continue to achieve improvements to the judicial appointments system.

  3. The Commission has a statutory duty to have regard to the need to encourage diversity in the range of people available for selection for judicial appointment. The Commission will work jointly with the Lord Chancellor and other key stakeholders to promote judicial diversity.

The Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman

  1. From April 2006 the Ombudsman will have responsibility for:

    • investigating and making recommendations concerning complaints from candidates for judicial office about the way in which their application had been handled
    • judicial appointments matters referred to him by the Lord Chancellor.

  2. The Ombudsman will also investigate complaints about the handling of judicial conduct issues and will advise on judicial conduct and discipline matters referred to him by the Lord Chancellor or the Lord Chief Justice. Responsibility for judicial discipline, and for considering complaints about the conduct of judicial office holders will rest jointly with the Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice, who will be supported in this work by the new Office for Judicial Complaints, which will also be established in April 2006.

  3. The current Commission for Judicial Appointments will cease to exist when the new Ombudsman’s office is set up. The Constitutional Reform Act provides for any complaints which remain outstanding when the Commission is disbanded to be transferred to the Ombudsman.

The Tribunals Service Programme

  1. In April 2006 a new executive agency, the Tribunals Service, will be launched. The agency will be a first step in bringing together central government tribunals currently under the responsibility of other government departments, to provide a more coherent, efficient and accessible service for those who use the tribunals.

  2. The Lord Chancellor currently makes most tribunal appointments. For the future, the new Judicial Appointments Commission will have responsibility for all selection processes for judicial posts in tribunals within the new Tribunals Service.

Annexes

ANNEX A

Judicial Officers In Post as at 30 September 2005

Judges in post (excluding Tribunals)

Position Total Gender Ethnicity
Male Female White Mixed Asian Black Chinese Other Unknown
Lord of Appeal in Ordinary121119000003
Heads of Division (excluding the Lord Chancellor)4404000000
Lord Justice of Appeal3735234000003
High Court Judge1069610951000010
Circuit Judge623557665820320036
Recorder1440123320713381225190046
District Judges (incl. Family Division)437350873944700032
Deputy District Judges (incl. Family Division)7935971967335970039
District Judge (Magistrates' Courts)12910227122140002
Deputy District Judge (Magistrates' Courts)16813038155062104
Total37493115634346623543010175
% of Total10083.116.9192.450.611.440.80.0304.67

An equivalent table showing judicial officers, appointed by the Lord Chancellor, in post Tribunals, will be published on the DCA website at a later date (www.dca.gov.uk/judicial).

ANNEX B

Competitions held and appointments 1 April 2004 - 30 September 2005

Table 1: 1 April 2004 - 3 March 2005

Competitions in April 2004 to March 2005 No. appointed
High Court
High Court Judges9
High Court Judges (recommended for appointment)2
Circuit Bench
Circuit Judge North Eastern 2003/20041
Circuit Judge Northern 2003/20043
Circuit Judge Wales and Chester 2003/20042
Circuit Judge South Eastern 2003/20041
Community Justice Judge, Liverpool1
Circuit Judge Mercantile (London)1
Judge Advocate General of the Forces1
Recorders
Recorder Competition 2004/2005 South Eastern Circuit46
Recorder Competition 2004/2005 Midland Circuit30
Recorder Competition 2004/2005 Western Circuit25
Recorder Competition 2004/2005 Wales & Chester Circuit8
Recorder Competition 2004/2005 Northern Circuit20
Recorder Competition 2004/2005 North Eastern Circuit16
District Bench
Chancery Master1
Deputy District Judge (Magistrates' Court)28
Immigration and Regulatory Tribunals
Training Judge of the Asylum & Immigration Tribunal1
Deputy President of the Asylum & Immigration Tribunal1
Designated Immigration Judge (Asylum & Immigration Tribunal)20
Fee-Paid (Part-time) chairman of Information Tribunal 20041
*Deputy Fee-paid (Part-time) Chairman of Information Tribunal 2004 4
Employment, Land and Valuation, Transport Tribunals
Fee-paid Arbitrator under the Motor Insurers' Bureau Untraced Drivers Agreement1
Fee-paid legally qualified panel member in the Appeal Tribunals14
Fee-paid disability qualified panel member in the Appeal Tribunals14
Fee-paid Medically qualified panel member in the Appeal Tribunals (Specialist) 10
Fee-paid Medically qualified panel member in the Appeal Tribunals (Non Specialist)11
Judge Advocate General of the Armed Forces1
Valuer chairman of the Rent Assessment Panel3
Lawyer Chairman of the Rent Assessment Panel. 5
Fee-paid lawyer chairman of Rent Assessment Panel (Wales)1
Fee-paid chairman of Employment Tribunals.21
Fee-paid Road User Charging Adjudicators.21
Health and Social Services
Fee-paid legal chairman of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal 2004 12
Total 335

* 4 deputy chairmen were appointed within the competition for chairman of the Information Tribunal

Table 2: 1 April 2005 - 30 September 2005

Competitions in April 2005 to September 2005 No. appointed
Circuit Bench
Circuit Judge Central Criminal Court 3
Senior Circuit Judge at Southwark Crown Court1
Appointment to the Office of Common Serjeant at Central Criminal Court1
Designated Civil Judge Cardiff 2005 - (Wales)1
Recorder
Recorder Competition Western Circuit17
District Bench
Deputy District Judge 2005/680
District Judge (Magistrates' 2005/6)7
District Judge (Civil) 2005/621
District Judge (Magistrates') 2002/3*1
Employment, Land and Valuation, Transport Tribunals
Fee-paid chairmen of Employment Tribunal16
Fee-paid medical members Pensions Appeal Tribunal16
Fee-paid service members of Pensions Appeal Tribunal12
Health and Social Services
Fee-paid medical members Mental Health Review Tribunal38
Total214

* Deferred appointment

ANNEX C

SUMMARY TABLES

Table 1: 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005

Applications covering period 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005

  Total Male Female White Minority Ethnic Unknown
Total 238316447392079 249 54
Percentages 100693187102

Interviews covering period April 2004 to March 2005

  Total Male Female White Minority Ethnic Unknown
Total9166492678188612
Percentages 10071298991

Appointments covering period April 2004 to March 2005

  Total Male Female White Minority Ethnic Unknown
Total335232103302303
Percentages 10069319091

Reserve list appointments covering period 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2003

Total Male Female White Minority Ethnic Unknown
Total 45 35 10 43 1 1
Percentages100 78 22 96 22

Total includes two posts where recommendations had been made for appointment as at 31 March 2005


Table 2: 1 April 2005 to 30 September 2005

Applications covering period April 2005 to September 2005

  Total Male Female White Minority Ethnic Unknown
Total 1198 830 368 1031 14027
Percentages10069318612 2

Interviews covering period April 2005 to September 2005

  Total Male Female White Minority Ethnic Unknown
Total 573 350 223 491 7012
Percentages10061 39 8612 2

Appointments covering period April 2005 to September 2005

  Total Male Female White Minority Ethnic Unknown
Total21411698172366
Percentages100544680173

Reserve list appointments covering period April 2005 to September 2005

  Total Male Female White Minority Ethnic Unknown
Total642600
Percentages100673310000

April 2004 to September 2005

Appointments covering 18 month period 1 April 2004 to 30 Sept 2005

  Total Male Female White Minority Ethnic Unknown
Total549348201474669
Percentages100633786122

Reserve list appointments covering 18 month period 1 April 2004 to 30 Sept 2005

  Total Male Female White Minority Ethnic Unknown
Total5139124911
Percentages10076249622

ANNEX D

Amended list of competencies considered at sift

ANNEX E

Further Information

For information on specific appointments and other enquiries, you may contact:

Senior Judicial Appointments
020 7210 0624

Circuit Judges
020 7210 0305
circuitbench.judicialgroup@dca.gov.uk
For enquiries only not for competition use.

Recorders
020 7210 8973/0632
recordercompetition.judicialgroup@dca.gsi.gov.uk

District Benches and Masters
020 7210 0344
districtbench.judicialgroup@dca.gsi.gov.uk
masters&registrars.judicialgroup@dca.gsi.gov.uk

Tribunals
020 7210 0568

Judicial Human Resources
020 7210 0568
For first point of contact for general enquiries only
(until 31 March 2006).

The above offices can be contacted at the following address:

Legal and Judicial Services Group
Department for Constitutional Affairs
Steel House
11 Tothill Street
London SW1H 9LH

Magistrates Appointments
020 7210 1721
mrnsteam@dca.gsi.gov.uk
For enquiries only, not for competition use.

Work Shadowing Scheme
020 7210 1681
Requests for application forms and further information on work shadowing can be obtained from:
workshadowing.judicialgroup@dca.gsi.gov.uk

Judicial Pay, Pensions, Terms and Conditions
020 7210 0626/8942

The above offices may be written to at the following address:

Legal and Judicial Services Group
Department for Constitutional Affairs
Selborne House
54-60 Victoria Street
London
SW1E 6QW

For general enquiries only
020 7210 1453
enquiries.judicialgroup@dca.gsi.gov.uk
(for specific queries use appropriate extensions above)

Endnotes:

  1. Lord Falconer of Thorton was appointed in 2003 as Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor. However, in relation to judicial appointments matters, his current statutory powers and new powers contained in the Constitutional Reform Act are all exercised as Lord Chancellor, and not as Secretary of State, and these powers are entrenched and only exercisable by the Lord Chancellor. Accordingly he is refereed to as the Lord Chancellor in this report.

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