Constitutional Reform Act 2005 Explanatory Notes

Section 121: Northern Ireland

333.Section 121 provides that where a member of a tribunal with UK-wide jurisdiction who is appointed after selection by the Judicial Appointments Commission sits wholly or mainly in Northern Ireland it is not the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales who will have disciplinary responsibilities in relation to him, but the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland. These responsibilities may also be delegated to other senior judges in Northern Ireland. In performing those functions, he will work within the procedures prescribed by the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, so that the same procedures apply to all members of the same tribunal; but the Lord Chief Justice will have to consult the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland before making the regulations containing the procedures, to make sure that any relevant provisions of Northern Ireland law are reflected in them. The greater part of these disciplinary responsibilities (in parallel with the situation in England and Wales) may also be delegated to other senior judges in Northern Ireland.

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