Leader: Claim of insufficient pay was an error of judgment

Published on Wednesday 2 November 2011 00:00

IT IS axiomatic: we must have the finest legal minds in the country sitting as judges in Scotland’s highest courts. The Scottish judicial system, proud of the independence which has survived since the Act of Union, must attract the best lawyers to interpret and protect Scots law.

One of the ways we can ensure this is to pay an appropriate salary. As with any profession, remuneration is an important part of attracting and retaining talented, hard-working and dedicated individuals like those who currently sit in the High Court and the Court of Session.

However, the claim by Lord Hamilton, Lord President and Lord Justice General, that one reason for a recent failure to recruit suitably qualified judges was that the senior judiciary was being paid “significantly less” than they were five years ago due to a pay freeze was, well, ill-judged.

According to a report last year, Scottish judges are paid eight and a half times the average salary in Scotland, the highest ratio in Europe. We must have the best on the bench, but those who judge should not become too far removed from those they judge.

The public, most of whom have had salary cuts or pay freezes or have lost their jobs, might think it appropriate for there to be judicial silence in court on this issue.

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