Clause 31 - Director of Public Prosecutions
Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill
10:30 am
Mr Edward Garnier (Harborough, Conservative)
I take the point that the hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton (Mr. Kilfoyle) made, but despite the words of my hon. Friend the Member for Reigate, I am not convinced that I am sure of the amendment's implications. I asked the hon. Member for Newy and Armagh what he meant by open competition, and I have yet fully to understand what he thinks it means, although the Minister may well have a better idea.
The net into which the Attorney-General can dip for candidates is fairly limited because the legal profession in Northern Ireland is small in comparison with that in England and Wales and, I dare say, in Scotland. Furthermore, any candidate from within that small class of people must be a barrister or a solicitor of at least 10 years' standing, so there will not be a very big pool into which to dip the net.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Desmond Browne): I should just make it clear that the Government accepted the recommendation that there should be open and fair competition in the context of the implementation plan. For the very reason of definition, the commitment to open and fair competition does not lend itself to statutory expression.