Recruitment commences for Lay members of Judicial Council

 On 17 December 2019, The Judicial Council was established pursuant to the Judicial Council Act 2019 (the "Act). The Judicial Council’s remit is to achieve excellence in the performance of judicial functions, high standards of conduct among Judges, an independent Judiciary, and public confidence in the judiciary and in the administration of justice.
 
The Act provides for a number of Committees to be set up to deal with specific areas of work. These are the Sentencing Guidelines Committee (responsible for compiling guidelines designed to increase consistency in relation to criminal sentences), Judicial Conduct Committee (a disciplinary committee with the power to investigate complaints and issue varying levels of rebuke to judges) and Panels of Inquiry (to conduct investigations of complaints referred by the Judicial Conduct Committee).
 
The Public Appointments Service has now advertised lay member positions in respect of the above committees and The Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan has urged suitably qualified candidates to put themselves forward through the State Boards process, citing the Judicial Council as a 'really important development'. The above committees are to be established in June 2020 and will hold their first meetings within one month of establishment, in accordance with Act. The deadline for applications is Tuesday, 05 May.
 
Further information in relation to the recruitment of lay members by the Public Appointments Service can be accessed here.

Written by Eimear Burke and Hannah Unger. 

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