Term of office etc. of CommissionersU.K.
12(1)A Commissioner must be appointed for a fixed period.U.K.
(2)But an appointment is subject to paragraphs 13 to 15.
[13(1)The Lord Chancellor may, by regulations made with the agreement of the Lord Chief Justice, make provision about the periods for which a Commissioner may be appointed or hold office.U.K.
(2)Regulations under this paragraph may (in particular) make provision about—
(a)the number of times a person may be appointed as a Commissioner;
(b)the length of any particular appointment;
(c)the total length of a person's appointments or the total period for which a person may hold office as a Commissioner.]
14[(1)The Lord Chancellor may by regulations made with the agreement of the Lord Chief Justice—U.K.
(a)provide for a Commissioner to cease to be a Commissioner on ceasing, or on ceasing for a particular reason, to be eligible for appointment as a Commissioner;
(b)provide for a Commissioner other than the chairman to cease to be a Commissioner on ceasing, or on ceasing for a particular reason, to be eligible for appointment as a Commissioner of a particular description;
(c)provide for the chairman—
(i)to cease to be the chairman without ceasing to be a Commissioner, or
(ii)to cease to be the chairman and cease to be a Commissioner,
on ceasing, or on ceasing for a particular reason, to be eligible for appointment as the chairman;
(d)confer power to disapply or suspend the operation of provision under paragraph (a), (b) or (c) in individual cases.]
(4)A Commissioner ceases to be a Commissioner if he becomes employed in the civil service of the State.
15(1)A Commissioner may at any time—U.K.
(a)resign his office by notice in writing addressed to Her Majesty;
(b)be removed from office by Her Majesty on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor.
(2)The Lord Chancellor may not under sub-paragraph (1) recommend that a Commissioner be removed from office unless he is satisfied that the Commissioner—
(a)has failed without reasonable excuse to discharge the functions of his office for a continuous period of at least six months,
(b)has been convicted of an offence,
(c)is an undischarged bankrupt [or a person in relation to whom a moratorium period under a debt relief order applies (under Part 7A of the Insolvency Act 1986)], or
(d)is otherwise unfit to hold his office or unable to discharge its functions.
(3)A recommendation on the ground mentioned in sub-paragraph (2)(a) may not be made more than 3 months after the end of the period mentioned there.