Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

-----he will discover that the process of sanctioning persons for appointment to the Judiciary is by way of Cabinet approval of recommendations put forward by the Minister for Justice and Equality. When the rainbow coalition was in government several years ago, the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board was established to bring some form of process into being. The appointment of judges is an extremely serious matter, particularly in the context of their independence from the Executive and in light of the job with which they are charged. It is clear that there is need for sensitivity with regard to how the process to which I refer operates.

As Deputy Ross is aware, members of the Cabinet do not know the names of persons to be nominated as judges until these are produced by the Minister for Justice and Equality of the day. Rather than having a situation where names are being bandied about in public and where there might be comment on the qualifications or otherwise of particular individuals, the position is that the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board makes a recommendation and this is discussed by the Attorney General and the Minister for Justice and Equality, who then brings a nomination to the Cabinet for approval.

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