Courts and Legal Services Act 1990

Supreme Court Officers

77 Age for retirement of certain Supreme Court officers

(1) In section 92 of the [1981 c. 54.] Supreme Court Act 1981 (tenure of office) for subsection (2) there shall be substituted—

“(2) Subsection (1) applies to the offices listed in column 1 of Part II of Schedule 2 except the office of Queen’s Coroner and Attorney and Master of the Crown Office and Registrar of Criminal Appeals.

(2A) Subject to the following provisions of this section, a person who holds an office to which this subsection applies shall vacate it at the end of the completed year of service in the course of which he attains the age of sixty-two years.

(2B) Subsection (2A) applies to the offices listed in column 1 of Part I of Schedule 2 and the office of Queen’s Coroner and Attorney and Master of the Crown Office and Registrar of Criminal Appeals.

(2C) For the purposes of subsections (1) and (2A) a person who has successively held two or more offices listed in column 1 of Part I or II of Schedule 2 shall be treated as completing a year of service on the anniversary of his appointment to the first of them.”

(2) After subsection (3) of that section (retirement age increased in certain circumstances to 75 years) there shall be inserted—

“(3A) Where the Lord Chancellor considers it desirable in the public interest to retain in office a person who holds an office to which subsection (2A) applies after the time when he would otherwise retire in accordance with that subsection, the Lord Chancellor may from time to time authorise the continuance in office of that person until such date, not being later than the date on which he attains the age of sixty-five years, as he thinks fit.”

(3) In subsection (4) of that section (person to hold office during good behaviour) after the words “subsection (1)” there shall be inserted “or (2A)”.

78 Registrar of Criminal Appeals

(1) The office of Registrar of Criminal Appeals shall be combined with the office of Queen’s Coroner and Attorney and Master of the Crown Office.

(2) After section 13 of the [1981 c. 20.] Judicial Pensions Act 1981 there shall be inserted—

“13A Registrar of Criminal Appeals

There may be paid to persons who have held the office of Queen’s Coroner and Attorney and Master of the Crown Office and Registrar of Criminal Appeals such superannuation allowances as the Lord Chancellor may, with the approval of the Treasury, determine.”

(3) In Part I of Schedule 1 to that Act (which lists certain officers of the Supreme Court and has the effect of entitling them to pension benefits etc.) the entry relating to the Registrar of Criminal Appeals shall be omitted.

(4) The offices of Assistant Registrar of Criminal Appeals and Deputy Assistant Registrar of Criminal Appeals are hereby abolished.