The Judicial Appointments Commission selects candidates for judicial office in England and Wales, and for some tribunals with UK-wide powers.
It is our statutory duty to select people on merit, who are of good character. We believe the judiciary should reflect the society it serves and we aim to attract diverse applicants from a wide field. We work closely with a range of organisations to promote vacancies to all those who are eligible.
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The JAC’s annual report and accounts have been laid before Parliament and published today. The report contains a range of information about the work of the Commission from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022.
During the year, we completed 31 exercises with 8,928 applications and made 1,244 recommendations.
The combined statistical report, started in 2020, brings together in-depth data from the legal professions, judicial appointments and the current judiciary.
Bringing together this in-depth data in one place enables the JDF to take a collective approach to tackle the challenges of increasing diversity at all levels.
Today we have published our refreshed strategy for 2020-23 which incorporates our Business Plan 2022-23.
The Commission Board has reviewed the 2020-23 Strategy and agrees its overall aims remain valid and relevant in the current context for the final year of our 3-year strategy:
Ensure we are a centre of excellence in selection, applying best practice to identify talented candidates with skills and abilities across the entirety of judicial roles
Attract well-evidenced applications from the widest range of high calibre candidates, supporting greater judicial diversity
Ensure the JAC is widely recognised as the trusted expert body on independent, merit-based appointment to the judiciary
Support delivery of Commission aims in line with our values, including by way of a new digital application system and tools.
Our vision is to attract and support the widest range of high calibre candidates for judicial office, and to make independent selections on merit through fair and open competition.
The Business Plan for 2022-23 outlines the key priorities for the final year of the 3-year strategy based on the factors that are likely to affect the JAC over the next year. You can see the final strategy here.
Lord Kakkar was appointed JAC Chairman on 3 October 2016. He was reappointed for a further 3 years from 2 October 2019.
He is Professor of Surgery, University College London, Chairman of University College London Partners Academic Health Science Partnership and Director of the Thrombosis Research Institute, London.
Lord Kakkar was created a Life Peer in 2010 and sits on the cross benches of the House of Lords. He served as Chairman of the House of Lords Appointments Commission from 2013 to 2018, and was appointed a member of the Privy Council in December 2014.