Council of Europe body expresses serious concern over judicial appointments bill 

The Judicial Appointments Commission Bill, which is currently going through the Seanad, would see a new body, with a lay majority as well as lay chairperson, recommend new judges.

But a report by GRECO, the Council of Europe’s corruption prevention body, said it has a number of concerns about the proposed commission.

The fact that judges would be in a “clear minority position” does not meet European standards, it said.

It added that judges should be a “substantial part” of any appointment commission and asked the Government to rethink the legislation to avoid creating a system in which politicians have undue influence over the appointment process.

Fine Gael Senator Catherine Noone said she would “obey the Whip and I will vote with a heavy heart for a lot of this”.

She added that she was sorry to “speak negatively about a Bill that my own Minister is putting forward” but felt it was “an insult to the profession of which I’m a proud member”.