Clause 3 - Judicial Appointments Commission
Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill
6:45 pm
Mr Crispin Blunt (Reigate, Conservative)
This is an important issue because, although the Minister has spoken about the need for different perspectives in the make-up of the Judicial Appointments Commission, the most important perspective is judicial because it is the profession that should have the most important knowledge of the appropriate people to promote. In view of the number of people available for appointment, especially at the higher levels, the number of positions that are available for appointment and the small size of the pool from which people are drawn in Northern Ireland, it would establish the principle of independence and merit if the judicial members of the commission had more influence. It is wrong that there should be five judicial members under the chairmanship of the Lord Chief Justice, which in effect makes six, and five lay members.
The Minister has chosen to include the members from the legal profession with the judicial members for the purposes of his arguments, which is unfair. The judiciary should have the most influence within the commission on which of its members should take up the appointments, which is why the balance of the commission is wrong. Too often our reflex response is to say that lay members must be good by definition because they are independent and supply additional qualities that a profession cannot bring. Given the appointments system under the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, it is especially important that the commission is rebalanced as I propose.