SCHEDULES

[F1 SCHEDULE 3A N.I. The Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Ombudsman

Textual Amendments

F1 Sch. 3A inserted (25.9.2006) by Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4), ss. 124, 148, Sch. 15; S.I. 2006/1537, art. 3

The Ombudsman] N.I.

1 (1) A person must not be appointed as the Ombudsman if any of these sub-paragraphs applies—

(a) he is employed in the civil service of the State;

(b) he is a member of the House of Commons;

(c) he is a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly;

(d) he is engaged in political activity as a member of a political party;

(e) he has ever been any of these—

(i) a practising barrister in England and Wales;

(ii) a practising solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales;

(iii) a practising advocate in Scotland;

(iv) a practising solicitor in Scotland;

(v) a practising member of the Bar of Northern Ireland;

(vi) a practising solicitor of the Supreme Court of Judicature of Northern Ireland;

(vii) the holder of a listed judicial office.

(2) Before recommending a person for appointment as the Ombudsman the Lord Chancellor must consider—

(a) whether the person has exercised functions that appear to the Lord Chancellor to be of a judicial nature and such as to make the person inappropriate for the appointment;

(b) whether any past service in a capacity mentioned in sub-paragraph (3) appears to the Lord Chancellor to make the person inappropriate for the appointment.

(3) The service referred to in subsection (2)(b) is service as any of these—

(a) a Commissioner;

(b) a member of staff of the Commission;

(c) a person employed in the civil service of the State.