Fellow Judges, Ladies and Gentlemen: it gives me great pleasure to attend your Annual Dinner this evening. Let me thank George and the Association for this splendid dinner; and for the warm welcome that all the guests have received.
This evening gives me the opportunity to pay tribute to George's remarkable seventeen years service on the Association Committee. Although he is stepping down from the Committee at the end of this month, he is not - happily for the people of Chester - stepping down from the Bench.
And it is no coincidence that, during that time, the Association has prospered. George's hard work, vision and patience have earned him the respect and admiration of his colleagues on the Association and all those with whom the Association works. It has also earned him a CBE for services to the administration of justice - a well-deserved award that pleased everyone who knows him well. The award, of course, belongs equally to Jenny, who formed a formidable team with George both within and without the Association. I hope the future holds less work and more play for them both. And in bidding farewell to George, let me also wish his successor as President, Jeremy Cochrane, all the very best.
Since I last spoke at your Annual Dinner, as you reminded me in 1998, the willingness of the Association to work in partnership with the Government - together with the constructive and forward looking approach of the District Bench as a whole - has been invaluable to our efforts to improve and modernise the justice system.
Take the Civil Justice Reforms. In 1999 we gave the District Bench a much-enhanced responsibility for Civil Justice. Now, as well as hearing all small claims trials - which today constitute the vast majority of full hearings in the Civil Courts - District Judges hear over half of all fast-track trials and a significant proportion of multi-track trials. The District Bench has also embraced its new case management function, so helping to change our civil litigation culture fundamentally. In short, you have led the line in the most radical overhaul of Civil Justice for 150 years. And the success of the reforms - including, for example, a 22% reduction in the average time from issue to trial - is testament to your energy, to your vision and to your common sense.
In 1998 I promised to improve promotion opportunities by enabling and encouraging District Judges to seek promotion to the Circuit Bench. This has become a reality: since then, 16 District Judges - including some from the Magistrates' Courts - have taken this step, so further justifying my faith in the ability of those on the District Bench to apply their skills to new and different types of work. And I hope more of you seek to follow this route, because the District Bench is a valuable pool of talent, which we must utilise to the full.
The task of replenishing your ranks with more top quality lawyers, from both sides of the profession, is one to which I attach great importance. And it may, in the future, take a very different form. As you know, in October and November last year, my Department ran a pilot assessment centre for the appointment of Deputy District Judges. This involved, in addition to the traditional interview, role plays and written papers. And our evaluation of the pilot has shown it to be a real success. The assessors found that the extra information available from a wider range of activities enhanced their capacity to assess a candidate's suitability for appointment. And the applicants felt that the assessment centre represented a clearer, more transparent and more relevant method of selection than interview alone.
And evidence also suggested that the assessment centre gave all candidates - including both branches of the profession, women and ethnic minorities - an equal chance of demonstrating their ability to fill the role of District Judge. The appointment figures bear this out: 38% of those appointed as Deputies from the assessment centre were female and just over 7% were of Black or Asian origin - which compares well to the numbers in these groups that are eligible for appointment.
And I will consider, over the coming weeks, how the assessment centre arrangements might be developed for the future. But, for now, let me thank the Association, and those of you who were personally involved, for the vital help and support that made the pilot such a worthwhile exercise.
And let me also thank those of you who serve on the Judicial Advisory Groups supporting the Courts and Tribunals Modernisation Programme. Your contribution is vital to the delivery of new I.T. systems and a better service to the public. The amount of personal time you devote - in particular Geoff Edwards and Stephen Greenwood - is very much appreciated. This is precisely what I mean by the Government and the Judiciary working in partnership to improve the justice system and long may it continue.