New clause 6 - Eligibility for appointment as
Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill
10:00 am
Lady Lady Hermon (North Down, UUP)
I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
The new clause is straightforward and would exclude from appointment as a court security officer, pursuant to clause 78, any person who has
''at any time in Northern Ireland or elsewhere been convicted of a criminal offence.''
As the Bill stands, those with criminal convictions will be eligible for appointment as court security officers.
It is worth reminding ourselves of the aims of the criminal justice review, as set out in the Belfast agreement and repeated at the beginning of the review. Those aims include delivering
''a fair and impartial system of justice to the community''
and, importantly, ensuring that the justice system has
''the confidence of all parts of the community''.
Throughout our consideration of the Bill, I have tried to ensure that all sections of the community will have confidence in the criminal justice system. I tried to ensure that those with criminal convictions would not be eligible for appointment to important bodies such as the Judicial Appointments Commission, the lay magistracy and-I dealt with this as recently as Tuesday-the local community safety partnerships. I have been disappointed to date and I have worked in vain to secure confidence in all aspects of the judicial review procedure, but I am giving the Minister one last chance to assure us that those with criminal records will not be eligible for appointment as court security officers.