Report comment

Progress is being made on diversity in the senior judiciary. Three women (out of 10 recommendations) were recently promoted to the Court of Appeal and women made up a third of the last recommendations to the High Court (Queen’s Bench and Family Divisions). All selections were made solely on merit.

Women have been making good progress at the entry and middle levels of the judiciary for some time. Black and minority ethnic lawyers are well-represented in the tribunals and their representation is improving in all main courts roles.

The Crime and Courts Act 2013 has introduced a number of changes aimed at enhancing judicial diversity, such as extending salaried part-time working to the High Court and above.

Also, for the recent Lord Chief Justice and President of the Queen's Bench Division selections, all members of the selection panels had refresher training on unconscious bias. This was to ensure they did not have an unconscious image of a judge having certain qualities or a particular image. This is an issue that Lord Neuberger raised in media interviews in March.