Information Pack
00371:Salaried President of Employment Tribunals
(England and Wales) 2008
CONTENTS
CONTACTS AND FURTHER INFORMATION
INTRODUCTION
The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is now inviting applications for the post of Salaried President of Employment Tribunals for England and Wales. The closing date for applications is 24 July 2008. There is one vacancy for immediate appointment. The President may be based in any of the Tribunals Service's centres, however a significant number of meetings will take place in London and the successful candidate may also be expected to travel to Tribunal venues throughout England and Wales.
Please note that this post is being offered on a full-time basis and is not suitable for part-time working.
This pack contains the information that you need about the appointment. It includes eligibility criteria and the job description. It also describes the selection process that the JAC will follow, with relevant dates and advice on how to prepare for the various stages of this process.
Before you can be considered for appointment, there are eligibility requirements that you must meet. The JAC is also required to assess your character. Before applying you should read these requirements and the guidelines that the JAC uses to assess character. These can be found on our website (www.judicialappointments.gov.uk) along with outline terms and conditions of service and terms of appointment for this post. You will also need to demonstrate the qualities and abilities required for this office.
The independent JAC selects candidates for judicial office. It does so on merit, through fair and open competition, from the widest range of eligible candidates.
ARE YOU ELIGIBLE?
To be eligible for appointment as Salaried President of Employment Tribunals (England and Wales) you must meet the following requirements:
Statutory requirement
- have a seven year general qualification within the meaning of Section 71 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990; or
- be an advocate or solicitor admitted in Scotland of at least seven years standing; or
- be a member of the Bar of Northern Ireland or solicitor of the Supreme Court of Northern Ireland of at least seven years standing.
In order to meet the statutory qualifications for appointment, a solicitor (or a salaried judicial office holder who was formerly a solicitor) must appear on the Roll.
Non Statutory requirements
Previous service in a judicial office
The Lord Chancellor expects applicants normally to have served in a judicial office in a fee paid or salaried capacity for at least two years or to have completed 30 sitting days before the closing date for applications.
Age
There is no upper or lower age limit for candidates apart from the statutory retirement age of 70. The age at which someone is appointed to the post of Salaried President of Employment Tribunals (England and Wales) must allow for a reasonable length of service. The successful candidate would normally be expected to serve for at least five years.
Nationality
You must complete a declaration of your nationality in the Application Form. In order to qualify for this post, you must be a citizen of:
- the United Kingdom; or
- another Commonwealth country; or
- the Republic of Ireland.
Character
The JAC is required by statute to appoint only persons of good character. In order to make these assessments we have developed Good Character Guidance which you can find on our website. You can also write to us to request a copy (see the 'Contacts and Further Information' section of this Information Pack for our contact details).
The Good Character Guidance gives you some indication as to whether anything in your past conduct or present circumstances might affect your application for judicial appointment. You should read it carefully before completing the Application Form.
Good character questions and declarations
You are required to answer a number of questions related to good character in the Application Form and must make appropriate declarations as requested.
Applicants for judicial appointments are not protected by sections 4(2) and 4(3) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Any convictions which would normally be regarded as having expired under that Act should therefore be declared in writing (Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exemptions) Order 1975). You must provide details of all offences for which you have been convicted or cautioned. Details should include the nature of each offence, date of conviction or caution and the penalty imposed.
Where proceedings of any kind are pending, you should give details of the offence with which you have been charged or the disciplinary process you are subject to and, if known, the date when the case or action may be heard. It is important that you inform us of the outcome of any case or action concluded while your application is under consideration. Similarly, if you are charged with any offence or any action is brought against you after submitting your application you should inform us immediately (see the 'Contacts and Further Information' section of this Information Pack).
In all cases, please provide as much detail as you can and indicate if there are any mitigating factors that you think the JAC should take into account in assessing your good character.
Good character checks
The JAC will also carry out checks on all candidates whom it intends to recommend for appointment. Further information about these checks will be provided separately to relevant candidates.
Failure to have declared any matters that come to light from these checks may prejudice the outcome of your application.
Disqualification
You should note that the House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975 applies to this office.
REASONABLE ADJUSTMENTS
The JAC is committed to considering any reasonable adjustments needed to ensure that you can participate in the selection process fairly. The Application Form asks you to identify any arrangements and adjustments you may require. Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis and the information given will not be used in selection decisions.
If you are recommended for appointment, reasonable adjustments will be considered if you have a disability under the meaning of the Disability Discrimination Act, as they are for serving judges who develop an impairment or long-term health condition. Any reasonable adjustments to enable you to take up appointment will be discussed separately with you by the Tribunals Service after the JAC has made its recommendation.
JOB DESCRIPTION
The following information has been provided by the Ministry of Justice.
Salaried President of Employment Tribunals (England and Wales)
Purpose of the role:
- To provide the jurisdictional lead and management for Employment Tribunals in England and Wales, currently consisting of 12 Regional Offices, 9 ancillary offices and 10 or more hearing centres.
- To contribute to the senior judicial management team supporting the Senior President of Tribunals on wider issues.
- To be responsible for the career development of judges and non legal members within the Employment Tribunals (England and Wales), assessing the judicial requirements of the Tribunals in each region and overseeing the deployment of the Tribunals judiciary, as well as maintaining and building high standards of case management and decision making.
- To maintain a close working relationship with the Senior President and will assist him, as required, to achieve the agreed policy objectives of the judiciary.
Duties:
- Ensure the judicial quality and efficiency of the Tribunals, issuing directions on various aspects of judicial work and monitoring performance to ensure that cases are dealt with as expeditiously as possible, consistent with the overriding objective in Regulation 3 of the Employment Tribunals (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) Regulations 2004.
- Chairing the National Training Panel, which is responsible for organising induction and refresher training for all fee paid and salaried judges, and non legal members, ensuring that all reasonable training requirements are identified and met.
- Organising and chairing periodic meetings of all Regional Employment Judges to discuss issues of concern to the judiciary. Identify best practice measures and promote a collegiate spirit and consistency of approach amongst judicial colleagues.
- Chairing the National User Group meetings and other such meetings deemed appropriate.
- Participating in the running of pilot schemes designed to test ways of improving the work of the Tribunals, while preserving the independence of the Tribunals judiciary.
- Holding meetings with the Council for Employment Tribunal Judges (CETCH) and the Council for Employment Tribunal Members Associations (CETMA).
- Liaising, consulting and working with administrative colleagues, as required, to ensure adequate and appropriate support for the judicial functions and generally assisting in achieving efficient and cost effective delivery of justice to the users.
- Advising and assisting the Judicial Appointments Commission in the recruitment of judges and lay members, by providing reports and participating in the selection process to ensure high quality and consistency in judicial appointments.
- Maintaining a relationship with various stakeholder groups including the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform; Ministry of Justice; Commission for Equality & Human Rights; Confederation of British Industry; Trades Union Congress; Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service; CETCH; CETMA and other representative bodies with an interest in employment related issues, and at all times seeking to ensure that the interests of self represented users, who may not have a voice within the established consultative mechanisms, are fully considered and reflected in any measures adopted as a result of consultation.
- Investigating complaints against members of the Tribunals Judiciary in compliance with the Judicial Complaints (Tribunals) Rules 2006, and liaising with the Lord Chancellor, the Office for Judicial Complaints, the Senior President and the Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman, as appropriate, in respect of complaints and any disciplinary issues.
- Advising the relevant department (Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) on reasonably foreseeable consequences and the practical implementation, of various proposals designed to give effect to government policy on employment.
- Carry out, as appropriate, a pastoral role in relation to the welfare of judicial colleagues.
- Overseeing and, if necessary, improving the mentoring scheme for newly appointed Judges.
- Monitoring and, if necessary, improving the judicial appraisal scheme.
- Devising and implementing appropriate alternative dispute procedures, including judicial mediation.
Further Information
Further information about this post can be found on the JAC website: www.judicial appointments.gov.uk.
THE SELECTION PROCESS
Application form
Details of the qualities and abilities against which you will be assessed are set out in the Application Form. You can draw on your full range of work and personal experience to demonstrate these qualities and abilities including, for example, voluntary work or any publication to which you have contributed. Please be specific in giving information.
Timetable
| Closing date for applications | 24 July 2008 |
| Provisional date(s) for interview | 29-30 September 2008 |
Shortlisting
If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to an interview. Further details will be sent with your invitation to attend.
References
We may seek information from people who are well placed to comment on how you meet the qualities and abilities. Referees are usually approached before the sift takes place and will be encouraged to draw on appraisal material if it is available. The material provided by referees will usually inform decisions at sift, interview and final selection decisions by Commissioners.
Candidate nominated
You are invited to nominate up to three referees who know you well either personally or professionally.
JAC nominated
The JAC may also request references from those identified in the section of this pack titled 'JAC nominated referees'.
Please provide the name, title, position and address of your relevant judicial and professional referees. You may also tell us if you do not wish us to approach the relevant professional referee now, but you must give reasons.
Declaration of interest
The Judicial Appointments Commissioners are listed at the back of this pack. You should not nominate a Commissioner as a referee. You should also state in the Application Form if you are in any way related to, or known to, any of the Commissioners and give details.
Outcome of the selection exercise
You will be advised of the outcome of your application in writing.
If you are unsuccessful, you can request a written explanation. You should make this request within six weeks of the date of the letter informing you that you have not been successful. We will aim to respond to your request within four working weeks.
Medical examination
You may be asked to undergo a medical examination before taking up appointment.
Complaints procedure
If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the way your application has been handled, please refer to the JAC's published complaints procedure, which is available from our website, or in writing on request.
CONTACTS AND FURTHER INFORMATION
Obtaining an application form
All the information about applying for this selection exercise is available at www.judicialappointments.gov.uk (current selection exercises).
The Application Form for this selection exercise can be obtained electronically by downloading it from the website.
Please contact the Judicial Appointments Applications Service (JAAS) at the JAC if you wish to request a hard copy of the Application Form or Information Pack, or if you have any questions about eligibility or about submitting your application.
If you need the form and/or pack in a different format, for example Braille, please contact the JAAS team.
Acknowledgement of your application
You should receive an acknowledgement of your application within five working days of receipt. If you do not, please contact the Selection Exercise Team by telephone or e-mail.
Contact details
-
JAAS team:
Reference: 00371 (Please use this reference on all communications)
Judicial Appointments Commission
2nd Floor
Steel House
11 Tothill Street
London
SW1H 9LH
DX 149822 WESTMINSTER 6
Email
Telephone: 020 7210 0123
-
Selection Exercise Team:
Sheila Ramsamy
020 7210 0304
Email
Assistant Director
Maggie Garrett
020 7210 0305
Email
Deputy Selection Exercise Manager
Fax: 020 7210 0080
-
Director:
David Truscott
020 7210 0567
Email
Please note that from 11 August 2008, the JAC standard dialling code will change to 0203 334
(the last four digits of all extensions remain as stated above).
JAC NOMINATED REFEREES
The JAC may also request references from those categories listed below.
Judicial referees
If you hold a judicial office not in this list, please contact the JAC so that we can consider who should be nominated as your judicial referee.
If you are a Tribunal President, the Senior President or Lord President (Scotland).
If you sit on a Tribunal, the Tribunal President or equivalent.
If you are a Recorder, the Resident Judge, the Designated Civil Judge or the Designated Family Judge in the court(s) where you sit most often.
If you are a Circuit Judge, the relevant Senior Presiding Judge.
If you are a District Judge or Deputy District Judge, the local Designated Civil Judge.
If you are Deputy High Court Judge, the relevant Head of Division.
If you are a Sheriff Principal, the Lord Justice Clerk (Scotland only).
If you are a Sheriff, the Sheriff Principal (Scotland only).
Professional referee
If you are a solicitor, your managing partner or relevant equity partner.
If you are a barrister, your Head of Chambers.
If you are employed, your line manager or equivalent.
If you are an advocate, the Dean of the Faculty of Advocates (Scotland only).
JAC COMMISSIONERS
Chairman of the JAC
Baroness Usha Prashar CBE
Members
Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly DBE
Professor Dame Hazel Genn DBE QC
Mr Justice John Goldring
Lady Justice Heather Hallett DBE
Her Honour Judge Frances Kirkham
Sir Geoffrey Inkin OBE
Mr Edward Nally
Ms Sara Nathan OBE
District Judge Charles Newman
His Honour Judge David Pearl
Mr Francis Plowden
Ms Harriet Spicer
Mr Jonathan Sumption OBE QC
Lord Justice Roger Toulson
For more information about the Commissioners go to our Chair and Commissioners page.