Crime and Courts Bill [HL]

Insert the following new Clause—

“Chief Executive of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom

(1) The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 is amended as follows.

(2) For section 48(2) (chief executive), substitute—

“(2) The President of the Supreme Court shall appoint the Chief Executive in accordance with the arrangements for the time being in force for the selection of persons to be employed in the civil service of the State.”

(3) In section 49(2) (officers and staff), omit the words “with the agreement of the Lord Chancellor.””

Page 218, line 11, at end insert—

(1) Part 3 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 is amended as follows.

(2) After section 31, insert—

“31A Diversity

The Lord Chancellor and any selection commission convened under section 26 must, in performing their functions under sections 27 to 31, have regard to the need to encourage diversity in the range of persons available for selection for appointments.””

Page 218, line 12, at end insert—

“(1) Section 27 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 is amended as follows.

(2) After subsection (5), insert—

“(5A) Neither subsection (5) nor Part 5 of the Equality Act 2010 (public appointments etc.) prevents the Lord Chancellor or any selection commission convened under section 26, where two or more persons are of equal merit, from preferring one of them over the other for the purpose of increasing diversity within the judges of the Supreme Court.””

Page 218, line 24, at end insert—

9A In Part 6 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (other provisions relating to the judiciary) after section 137 insert—

“137A Encouragement of diversity

Each of the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales must take such steps as that office-holder considers appropriate for the purpose of encouraging judicial diversity.””

Page 268, line 6, at end insert—

28A (1) Contracts made by the Secretary of State with probation trusts shall require each probation trust to make appropriate provision for the delivery of services to female offenders.

(2) Provision under sub-paragraph (1) shall include provision for women wherever appropriate to carry out unpaid work and participate in programmes designed to change offending behaviour in groups consisting only of women.”

Page 273, line 36, leave out “broadly comparable to” and insert “not more than”