Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, who instigated the complaint against Judge Charles Falk to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) in April 2022; whether that complaint fell outside of the JCIO's three month limit for investigation of complaints; whether the investigation was carried out by a panel or a single person; how long that investigation took; and whether that investigation included interviews with (a) Judge Charles Falk and (b) any other relevant people involved in the case.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The independent Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) considers complaints in accordance with the Judicial Conduct (Judicial and other office holders) Rules 2014.
The rules enable the JCIO, with the agreement of a nominated judge, to consider information received in the absence of a complaint as if it were a complaint. That process was duly followed in the matter regarding Judge Falk. After careful assessment by the JCIO, there was no evidence of misconduct by the judge and the matter was dismissed.
With the exception of published information about disciplinary sanctions, information about judicial disciplinary matters is confidential, and further details cannot therefore be provided.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons the Judicial Executive Board does not have members from Black and Minority Ethnic communities.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
There are no Judicial Executive Board (JEB) members from Black and minority ethnic communities. JEB is chaired by the Lord Chief Justice of England & Wales and comprised of the judges in the most senior leadership roles - the Master of the Rolls, the President of the Queen’s Bench Division, the President of the Family Division, the Chancellor of the High Court, the Senior President of Tribunals and the Senior Presiding Judge for England & Wales, as well as the Chair of the Judicial College and the Chief Executive of Judicial Office. Appointments to the leaderships roles are made through the independent Judicial Appointments Commission. The Lead Diversity Judge also sits on the Board and shows the commitment to diversity at the heart of the senior judicial leadership.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason the Judges Council which advises the Lord Chancellor does not have any Black and Minority Ethnic members.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Judges’ Council does not advise the Lord Chancellor. The primary function of the Judges’ Council is to inform and advise the Lord Chief Justice of England & Wales. Members of the Judicial Executive Board (including the Lead Diversity Judge) are also members of the Judges’ Council. Other members are selected by the judicial group which that member represents including, for example, the High Court Judges’ Association, the Council of Her Majesty’s Circuit Judges, the Association of Her Majesty’s District Judges and the Magistrates’ Association. Diversity data for Judges’ Council members is not held separately.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisons have reported inadequate supplies of personal protective equipment during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required by the prison service is kept under regular review by the department, making sure that there is sufficient stock to be responsive to changing local contexts. There is currently adequate stock and forward supply of PPE, in accordance with public health advice.
We have stock in the hundreds of thousands for aprons, coveralls, eye protection, pairs of gloves, respirator masks and fluid-resistant surgical masks, as well as hand sanitiser. However, we are making continued preparations and keeping demand for PPE under regular review as we move into the next phase of managing this outbreak.