The Department of Constitutional Affairs ('DCA') recently created the Judicial Appointments Commission to achieve diversity in the Judiciary. It is meant to affirm the principle that appointments are made on merit alone and more generally will promote an appointments system which is accountable and transparent.

The DCA further believes that a step-change in diversity cannot be achieved through procedural improvements alone and it is necessary to widen the pool from which applicants are drawn by looking more radically at the obstacles and barriers which may exist to deter people from making the decision to pursue a judicial career in the first place.

The DCA intends to publish a public consultation paper this Autumn which will explore ways in which to remove or reduce these barriers or obstacles. The DCA will be hosting a series of focus groups on 9, 10, 15 & 16 June to discuss these matters.

A SAL appointed representative has been invited to attend the focus groups' meetings and to put forward the SAL's viewpoint.

If you have a view on the above, which you think should be adopted by the SAL, please enter your message below. We welcome all views, some of which may be placed on this website for further discussion.