Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 10
10
In 2017, the Lammy review into how ethnic minorities are treated in the criminal justice...
Conclusion
In 2017, the Lammy review into how ethnic minorities are treated in the criminal justice system noted the importance of recruiting a diverse judiciary, and recommended a national target to achieve a representative judiciary by 2025.15 In 2020, the judiciary published its diversity and inclusion strategy to improve the representation of underrepresented groups within the judiciary.16 While discussing its plans in the session to boost judicial numbers, the Department did not reflect on what is needed to maintain and improve the diversity of the judiciary. 7 C&AG’s Report, para 7 8 Qq33–37 9 Q91 10 Qq23 11 Qq15–18 12 25, 69, 113 13 Qq25; 70 14 The Bar Council (RBC0007), The Law Society (RBC0002), The Criminal Bar Association (RBC0010) 15 The Lammy Review: An independent review into the treatment of, and outcomes for, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals in the Criminal Justice System, September 2017 16 Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, Judicial Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2020–2025, November 2025 10 Reducing the backlog in criminal courts Prison places
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: March 2024 (end of the spending review period) 3.2 Since 2017, the pool of fee paid judges in the courts has increased by 12% and the cadre of Deputy District Judges is 27% larger as laid out in the judicial diversity statistics 2017 and the 2021 statistics published on Gov.UK. 3.3 Recorder recruitment has met or exceeded the original vacancy request in each of the last three years and there are 30 more Deputy High Court Judges than in 2017. The healthier fee-paid pool is key to meeting the need for salaried roles (for which previous judicial experience is a requirement). 3.4 Recruiting sufficient salaried judges has been challenging. Action has been taken on remuneration: the pension reforms from April 2022 resulting in a 17% uplift in remuneration for District and 20% for Circuit Judges; and the Department has adjusted its recruitment approach (for example, reducing from 30 to 15 days the sitting experience required for those applying to be a District Judge). The increase in the judicial retirement age in March 2022 to 75 years will also enable the retention of additional judges. Alongside this, the Department and Judicial Diversity Forum will continue its action to improve judicial diversity as set out in the Judicial Diversity Action plan. 3.5 To meet the needs of court recovery, recruitment for 70 Circuit Judges and 125 Recorders commences in 2022. Should there be shortfalls, these will be mitigated by: • increasing Recorder recruitment where there are higher numbers of appointable candidates and increasing Recorder sittings. All crime Recorders can sit 80 days in 2022- 2023 (rather than usual maximum of 30) and where there is a business justification, the maximum has been raised to 180 days; • approval of District Judges (Magistrates Court) to sit in the Crown Court; and • approving Circuit Judges to sit in retirement.