Mr David Lammy (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs; Tottenham, Labour)

I seek to reassure the hon. Gentleman that nothing untoward was meant by the provision. It is certainly no attempt to undermine the independence of the judiciary. No tribunal member will have a draft determination altered by the supervisor. No tribunal member will expect to have a decision to adjourn challenged. No tribunal member will be pressurised by his supervisor when deciding an appeal. That would be quite inappropriate, and outside the context and the arrangements in this country for the independence of our judiciary.

We propose that senior members of the judiciary will be responsible for supporting a group of approximately 10 immigration judges. The senior judiciary will play a role in communicating information and case law and will be available if the immigration judge wishes to discuss any issue. They will play a role in ensuring that the judges receive appropriate training and mentoring, should they need it. That is consistent with judicial independence and is essential to allow asylum and immigration tribunals to function effectively. It is the management structure that was thought appropriate when collapsing the two tiers into the single-tier system. The provision for the supervision of members will have to be conducted in accordance with the rules. I can assure the Committee that those rules will be transparent, as they will be made in statutory instruments subject to annulment by Parliament.

See this speech in context