Vol. 437 No. 2
79 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Justice if she will urge the judiciary to introduce refresher training for judges every three years and a formal system of performance appraisal in regard to individual judges as were recommended by the Royal Commission on the Criminal Justice system in Britain.
The position in regard to training courses for judges is that the scope for the exercise by me of initiatives in this area is limited having regard to the constitutional independence of the Judiciary. I am aware of suggestions to the effect that legal training and expertise which is a precondition to the appointment of judges is not enough and that specialists in other fields should have an input to judicial training. I know that the Judiciary are also aware of these suggestions and that they are aware that I am willing to assist in any way I can with initiatives which the Judiciary bring forward in this regard.
