Examination of Witnesses (Questions 100-104)
BARONESS PRASHAR,
CLARE PELHAM
AND HON
MR JUSTICE
GOLDRING
20 MARCH 2007
Q100 Mr Tyrie: I just want to ask
one question about the Chief Commissioner for Social Security
and Child Support. That position is normally held by a judge.
Am I right in thinking that you have advertised for a new person
to fill that post and that you were not happy with the number
of people who came forward to fill it, or are you not familiar
with it?
Baroness Prashar: Can I look into
this because my recollection is that it is vacant?
Q101 Mr Tyrie: Rather than speculate
why do you not write to the Committee and set out the details
in full?
Baroness Prashar: I will write
to you.[6]
Q102 Chairman: We think it has been vacant
for quite a long time.
Baroness Prashar: It has indeed.
Q103 Mr Tyrie: And I have had representations
made to me that a rather unsatisfactory situation exists in respect
of this post.
Baroness Prashar: We can only
proceed once we get a vacancy notice but, as I said, I will look
into this and write to you about what has taken place with that.
Mr Tyrie: Thank you very much.
Q104 Chairman: Baroness Prashar,
Mr Justice Goldring, Ms Pelham, we want you to succeed. After
all, long before you were created, we went to look at the fact
that Scotland had created a Judicial Appointments Commission on
an advisory basis because we were interested in seeing how we
could move into this area. We do want you to succeed but we obviously
also have to take into account the concerns that might make it
difficult in the long term not only for you to succeed but also
for the judiciary to be seen to be benefiting from the process.
That is why we have to be quite rigorous in establishing whether
you are succeeding and refer to difficulties that have arisen.
As I say, it is our wish that this becomes an extremely successful,
highly respected Commission underlining the respect in which our
judiciary is already widely held.
Baroness Prashar: Thank you very
much, and I think we are very much at one in our objectives. I
can assure you that we are working extremely hard to make sure
we become a well-run, effective organisation because, as I said
earlier, we are very mindful, and my fellow Commissioners particularly,
of the importance of what we are doing and the importance of enhancing
the reputation of the judiciary.
Chairman: Thank you for your evidence
this afternoon.
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