Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the impact of the residential expectations placed on High Court judges on the geographical diversity of applicants for appointment.

No assessment has been made of the geographical diversity of applicants to the High Court. High Court judge Terms and Conditions, issued upon appointment by the Lord Chancellor, set out that their main workplace is the Royal Courts of Justice in London as a significant proportion of a High Court judge's sittings take place there or at other Central London courts. Relocation support is available for existing judges appointed to the High Court, if they need to move to take up appointment.