The Police Authorities (Lay Justices Selection Panel) Regulations 2005

Requirement to issue notice

4.—(1) Subject to paragraph (3), where a panel are required to prepare a short-list of candidates to be appointed as lay justice members of a police authority, they shall issue a notice stating the matters referred to in paragraph (2) and shall cause that notice to be disseminated to all lay justices who are assigned to a local justice area wholly or partly within the authority’s area.

(2) The matters to be included in a notice referred to in paragraph (1) are–

(a) the name of the police authority and police area;

(b) that a vacancy exists, or will exist, amongst those members of that authority to which lay justices are eligible for appointment;

(c) that the duties of such a member may include–

(i) attendance at meetings of the police authority and its committees;

(ii) keeping abreast of developments in both local and national policing;

(iii) representing the police authority in discussions with interested parties;

(iv) attendance at local police consultative groups, and

(v) liaising with representatives of the local community on policing issues;

(d) that persons are only eligible for appointment if–

(i) in accordance with paragraph 7 of Schedule 2 to the 1996 Act(1) they are assigned to a local justice area wholly or partly within the authority’s area; and

(ii) they are not otherwise disqualified;

(e) that, if a person wishes to have his name put forward, he must apply to the panel for an application form, and

(f) the date, not being less than one month after the date when the notice is issued, by which the application form must be completed and returned to the panel if it is to be considered by them in connection with a particular vacancy.

(3) This regulation shall not apply where–

(a) either of the conditions specified in paragraph (4) is satisfied, and

(b) the panel have decided to exercise the discretion conferred on them by regulation 8(1), and

(c) on completion of the procedure required by regulation 8(2), the panel have the names of a sufficient number of persons willing to be included on a short-list for appointment as lay justice members.

(4) The conditions referred to in paragraph (3)(a) are that, at the date when the vacancy occurred or, as the case may be, is expected to occur–

(a) less than two years have passed since the coming into force of this regulation;

(b) less than two years have passed since the date of the issue of the last notice previously issued in accordance with paragraph (1).

(5) In paragraph (3) “sufficient number” means a number four times greater than the number of appointments that are to be made under paragraph 8 of Schedule 2 or paragraph 5 of Schedule 2A (as the case may be) to the 1996 Act.

(1)

Paragraph 7 of Schedule 2 was substituted by paragraph 373(3) of Schedule 8 to the Courts Act 2003.