SCHEDULES

SCHEDULE 13Judicial appointments

Part 2Diversity

Diversity considerations where candidates for judicial office are of equal merit

I110

1

Section 63 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (judicial appointments to be solely on merit) is amended as follows.

2

In subsection (1) (selections to which subsections (2) and (3) apply) for “and (3)” substitute “ to (4) ”.

3

After subsection (3) insert—

4

Neither “solely” in subsection (2), nor Part 5 of the Equality Act 2010 (public appointments etc), prevents the selecting body, where two persons are of equal merit, from preferring one of them over the other for the purpose of increasing diversity within—

a

the group of persons who hold offices for which there is selection under this Part, or

b

a sub-group of that group.