The pair were sworn in before Sir Declan Morgan, the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, this morning.

Mr Scoffield, who was appointed as a temporary High Court judge at the start of the year, was previously in independent practice, specialising in public, administrative and constitutional law.

A graduate of the University of Oxford and Queen’s University Belfast, he was called to The Bar of Northern Ireland in 1999 and The Bar of Ireland in 2014. He took silk in 2011 at the age of 34.

Judge McFarland has served as the Recorder of Belfast since 2012. He began his legal career as a solicitor in Belfast in 1979 before taking on his first judicial role in 1988.

Bernard Brady QC, chair of the Bar Council of Northern Ireland, said: “On behalf of the Bar, I would like to congratulate both of our new High Court judges.

“Their legal expertise, integrity and deep commitment to serving the interests of justice will undoubtedly be an asset to the High Court Bench in Northern Ireland. I’m sure they will make a significant contribution to the work of our courts and the development of the law in the years ahead, drawing on the extensive experience of their distinguished careers to date.

“The last few months have been a challenging time for all those working in the justice system and so I am delighted to welcome some good news with these rightly deserved honours. The Bar Council wishes both judges the very best in their new endeavours.”