Annual report and statistics
30 April 2008
JAC's first full year shows encouraging signs on diversity
The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) today (30 April) published data on 27 selection exercises completed from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008. The JAC received a total of 2535 valid applications and 458 selections were sent to the Lord Chancellor. All of the JAC recommendations were accepted.
Baroness Usha Prashar, Chairman of the JAC, said :
The overall number of applications received is encouraging and I am pleased that, in our first full year, many women and black and minority ethnic candidates successfully put their names forward.
We are working closely with the Bar Council, Law Society and other partner organisations to encourage the best possible candidates to apply.
Some minimum entry requirements can however unintentionally, reduce the diversity of the candidate field. They create an additional barrier. I very much hope there can be changes in this area.
For the further details please see the full press notice and data.
4 July 2007
JAC publishes its annual report
The JAC today publishes its first annual report, 'Committed to Selection on Merit'. The report sets out the JAC's progress in its inaugural year.
During its first year, the JAC has concentrated on:
- the design and implementation of a new selection process including developing a definition of merit
- undertaking extensive activity to reach the widest range of eligible applicants
Also published today in support of the annual report are: aggregate tables showing -
- recommendations arising from the seven completed selection exercises completed in 2006/07
- recommendations for appointments from reserve lists created from selection exercises completed before April 2006 by the then Department of Constitutional Affairs
- recommendations for appointment to the Court of Appeal
The annual report and accompanying statistics are available to download from the right-hand menu of this page. Hard copies and alternative formats of the annual report are available on request by email.
To read the press release that accompanies the publication of the annual report click here .
20 July 2007
Statistics for Circuit Judge Selection Exercise
We publish today the results of the Circuit Judge selection exercise to prepare a list of candidates considered suitable for selection under section 94 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.
This exercise was started by the JAC before its new selection processes were published and was therefore conducted using processes inherited from the then DCA with adjustments to take account of the requirements of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. Information about the new selection processes published by the JAC in October 2006 is available here. These processes include the introduction of qualifying tests as an alternative assessment method to the previous system of paper-based 'sifts'.
There were serious errors in the administration of this selection exercise. As soon as we realised that errors had occurred we took immediate steps to ensure that no candidate had been disadvantaged. Information is therefore provided about both sifts that were conducted. We have introduced new measures to ensure that similar errors will not occur in the future.
20 June 2007
Statistics for High Court exercise
In line with the commitment made by Baroness Prashar at the JAC's second Constitutional Affairs Select Committee hearing on 20 March 2007, we published the results of our High Court selection exercise on 20 June. The exercise was launched on 31 October 2006, and was the first major selection exercise using the JAC's new processes and selection criteria. A full table of the results for this exercise can be accessed from the right-hand download menu of this page.
They show that the number of applications were comparably higher than for the previous exercise. Commissioners are confident that excellent candidates have been selected on merit.
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