Third supplementary memorandum submitted
by the Judicial Appointments Commission
HIGH COURT DIVERSITY STATISTICS
I regret that I am not able to give evidence
in person at the session on Wednesday 20 June. I would have been
available on 27 June. The Commission will be represented by Commissioners,
Ms Sara Nathan and Professor Dame Hazel Genn, and by the Chief
Executive, Clare Pelham.
When I gave evidence to you on 20 March, I said
we would be able to give you the diversity statistics for the
High Court Selection exercise once the exercise was closed, but
that the Commission was still determining the definition of "closed".
The High Court selection exercise was conducted
under section 94 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 by which
the Commission seeks to provide the Lord Chancellor with a list
of persons it has identified for selection for future appointment.
We have concluded that such an exercise is closed for our purposes
once the Commission has selected the names for inclusion on the
list and forwarded it to the Lord Chancellor. The other important
consideration is that all candidates should know the outcome.
We are satisfied that the above criteria have
been met for the High Court exercise so I am pleased to attach
the diversity breakdown at Appendix A. The application figures
are disaggregated into the agreed four diversity factors, and
by each key stage of the process.
As the JAC process is new, it is difficult to
compare figures exactly with the 2005 DCA-run High Court exercise.
In terms of applications, there were 129 applicants in the 2005
exercise and 144 applicants in the 2006-07 exercise. According
to the current statistics on the MOJ website, the Lord Chancellor
has appointed eight candidates from the 2005 recommended list.
The names of a further 10 candidates who have been selected for
appointment by the Lord Chancellor from the DCA list have also
been publicly announced. The attached diversity breakdown for
all 18 appointments by the Lord Chancellor is at Appendix B. Our
selection exercise is only at the stage where a recommended list
of 21 names has been selected, so it is not possible yet to say
how many appointments will then be made from that list.
The High Court statistics have not yet been
put into the public domain but I am pleased to be able to let
you have them in advance of the hearing on 20 June. We will place
them on our website on the morning of the hearing.
Baroness Prashar
Chairman
19 June 2007
Appendix A
JAC RUN EXERCISE: FIGURES PROVIDED BY JAC
| 00267: High Court 2006-2007
| | | |
| | | |
|
| Stage of Exercise | GenderNo
| % | Ethnic BackgroundNo
| % | DisabledNo
| % |
| Professional BackgroundNo |
% | | |
| | |
| | | |
Eligible Applicants | Men
| 123 | 85.42 | White
| 140 | 97.22 | Disabled
| 8 | 5.55 | Solicitor
| 7 | 4.86 |
| Women | 21 |
14.58 | BME | 3 |
2.08 | Not Disabled/ Not provided
| 136 | 94.45 | Barrister
| 94 | 65.28 |
| Not provided | 0
| 0 | Any other | 0
| 0 | | |
| Salaried Judicial Post Holder | 431
| 29.86 |
| | |
| Not provided | 1 | 0.69
| | | | Other/ Unknown
| 0 | 0 |
Shortlisting | Men
| 44 | 77.19 | White
| 56 | 98.25 | Disabled
| 4 | 7.02 | Solicitor
| 0 | 0 |
| Women | 13 |
22.81 | BME | 1 |
1.75 | Not Disabled/ Not provided
| 53 | 92.98 | Barrister
| 43 | 75.44 |
| Not provided | 0
| 0 | Any other | 0
| 0 | | |
| Salaried Judicial Post Holder | 142
| 24.56 |
| | |
| | Not provided | 0
| 0 | | | Other/ Unknown
| 0 | 0 |
Section 94 list | Men
| 18 | 85.71 | White
| 21 | 100 | Disabled
| 0 | 0 | Solicitor
| 0 | 0 |
| Women | 3 |
14.29 | BME | 0 |
0 | Not Disabled/ Not provided |
21 | 100 | Barrister
| 16 | 76.19 |
| Not provided | 0
| 0 | Any other | 0
| 0 | | |
| Salaried Judicial Post Holder | 53
| 23.81 |
| | |
| Not provided | 0 | 0
| | | | Other/ Unknown
| 0 | 0 |
Explanatory Notes
1 Of the 43 salaried judicial postholders who applied, 33 have
a barrister background, 8 have a solicitor background and 2 have
a barrister and solicitor background.
2 Of the 14 salaried judicial postholders who were shortlisted,
11 have a barrister background, 2 have a solicitor background
and 1 has a barrister and solicitor background.
3 Of the 5 salaried judicial postholders on the Section 94 list,
all have a barrister background.
Appendix B
DCA RUN EXERCISE: FIGURES PROVIDED BY MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
High Court 2005 |
| | | |
| | | |
|
| Stage of Exercise | Gender
No
| % | Ethnic Background
| | |
| | No
| % | Professional Background*No
| % | |
|
Eligible Applicants | Men
| 110 | 85.94 | White British
| 119 | 2.97 | Solicitor
| 7 | 5.47 |
| Women | 18 |
14.06 | White other | 4
| 3.12 | Barrister | 121
| 94.53 |
| | |
| Mixed | 1 | 0.78
| Salaried Judicial Post holders | 38
| 29.69 |
| | |
| Unknown | 4 | 3.12
| | | |
List considered for vacancies |
Men | 45 | 86.54 |
White British | 50 | 96.15
| Solicitor | 4 | 7.69
|
| Women | 7 |
13.46 | White other | 1
| 1.92 | Barrister | 48
| 92.30 |
| | |
| Mixed | 0 | 0
| Salaried Judicial Post holders | 13
| 25 |
| | |
| Unknown | 1 | 1.92
| | | |
Appointed | Men |
16 | 88.89 | White British
| 18 | 100 | Solicitor
| 0 | 0 |
| Women | 2 |
11.11 | White other | 0
| 0 | Barrister | 18
| 100 |
| | |
| Mixed | 0 | 0
| Salaried Judicial Post holders | 3
| 16.67 |
| | |
| Unknown | 0 | 0
| | | |
Footnotes
The ethnic backgrounds listed below are the only ones in which
applicants made entries.
* Professional background figures will amount to more than the
total for each stage due to Salaried Judicial Post holders being
made up of already counted barristers and solicitors.
| 
