245U.K.The Employment Tribunals Act 1996 is amended as follows.
246(1)Section 22 (membership of appeal tribunal) is amended as follows.U.K.
(2)In subsection (1)(a)—
(a)for “by the Lord Chancellor” substitute “ by the Lord Chief Justice, after consulting the Lord Chancellor, ”;
(b)omit “(other than the Lord Chancellor)”.
(3)In subsection (3) for “Lord Chancellor shall, after consultation with the Lord President of the Court of Session,” substitute “ Lord Chief Justice shall ”.
(4)After subsection (3) insert—
“(3A)The Lord Chief Justice must not make an appointment under subsection (3) unless—
(a)he has consulted the Lord Chancellor, and
(b)the Lord President of the Court of Session agrees.”
(5)After subsection (4) insert—
“(5)The Lord Chief Justice may nominate a judicial office holder (as defined in section 109(4) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005) to exercise his functions under this section.
(6)The Lord President of the Court of Session may nominate a judge of the Court of Session who is a member of the First or Second Division of the Inner House of that Court to exercise his functions under subsection (3A)(b).”
247(1)Section 23 (temporary membership) is amended as follows.U.K.
(2)In subsection (1) for “Lord Chancellor” substitute “ Lord Chief Justice ”.
(3)In subsection (2)(a) for “Lord Chancellor” substitute “ Lord Chief Justice ”.
(4)After subsection (5) insert—
“(6)The functions conferred on the Lord Chief Justice by the preceding provisions of this section may be exercised only after consulting the Lord Chancellor.
(7)The functions conferred on the Lord Chancellor by subsection (3) may be exercised only after consultation with the Lord Chief Justice.
(8)The Lord Chief Justice may nominate a judicial office holder (as defined in section 109(4) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005) to exercise his functions under this section.”
248(1)Section 24 (temporary additional judicial membership) is amended as follows.U.K.
(2)For subsection (1) substitute—
“(1)This section applies if both of the following conditions are met—
(a)the Lord Chancellor thinks that it is expedient, after consulting the Lord Chief Justice, for a qualified person to be appointed to be a temporary additional judge of the Appeal Tribunal in order to facilitate in England and Wales the disposal of business in the Appeal Tribunal;
(b)the Lord Chancellor requests the Lord Chief Justice to make such an appointment.
(1A)The Lord Chief Justice may, after consulting the Lord Chancellor, appoint a qualified person as mentioned in subsection (1)(a).
(1B)An appointment under this section is—
(a)for such period, or
(b)on such occasions,
as the Lord Chief Justice determines, after consulting the Lord Chancellor.”
(3)In subsection (2) for “subsection (1)” substitute “ this section ”.
(4)After subsection (3) insert—
“(4)The Lord Chief Justice may nominate a judicial office holder (as defined in section 109(4) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005) to exercise his functions under this section.”
249U.K.In section 25 (tenure of appointed members) after subsection (4) insert—
“(5)The Lord Chancellor may declare an appointed member's office vacant under subsection (4) only with the concurrence of the appropriate senior judge.
(6)The appropriate senior judge is the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, unless the member whose office is to be declared vacant exercises functions wholly or mainly in Scotland, in which case it is the Lord President of the Court of Session.”