QCs not interested in becoming judges, Lord President's survey finds

Few of Scotland's practising Queen's Counsel want to apply for judicial office, a survey for the Lord President as reported by the Times newspaper has found.

A freedom of information request has revealed that, from 93% of 122 QCs surveyed who responded, 59% said they did not want to apply, only 6% did, while the remaining 35% had not yet made up their minds.

Lower earnings than they can achieve in practice, along with lack of respect from media and politicians, have been cited as the main reasons, along with concerns at the way selections are made by the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland.

The Lord President is understood to be concerned at the prospects for filling vacancies as they arise in future.

A spokesperson for the Judicial Office for Scotland said the survey was "prompted by a concern to ensure that as many suitably qualified and experienced applicants as possible were applying for the office of Senator of the College of Justice, and a further concern that female condidates or those from minority ethnic backgrounds may feel reluctant to apply".

Work would continue to ensure that the recruitment process attracted the best possible candidates, they added.