Appointment of Parole Board members
45.Section 5(3) contains 9 new paragraphs to be inserted into schedule 2 to the 1993 Act (paragraphs 2A to 2J) which regulate the conditions of service of Parole Board members.
46.Paragraph 2A provides that a Parole Board member will have a term of office of not less than 6 years and not more than 7 years. The variable length of appointment is designed to ensure that all appointments can end on 31 December, even if they begin on a date other than 1 January. The term of appointment provided for in this paragraph is, however, subject to paragraphs 2B to 2D.
47.Although every member will be appointed for between 6 and 7 years, paragraph 2B provides that he or she is still entitled to resign at any point during that term by notifying the Scottish Ministers accordingly.
48.Paragraph 2C provides that a Parole Board member’s appointment will end on reaching his or her 75th birthday regardless of whether the period of appointment under paragraph 2A has expired. It also means that no person can be appointed or re-appointed as a member of the Parole Board after the age of 75.
49.Paragraph 2D provides that a Parole Board member's appointment will come to an end if that member is removed from office by the tribunal that is provided for in the new paragraph 3 of schedule 2 to the 1993 Act (inserted by section 5(4)).
50.Paragraph 2E provides that a person may be reappointed as a member of the Parole Board only if two conditions are fulfilled. One is that at least 3 years have passed since the person was previously a member and the other is that the person has not already been reappointed under these provisions.
51.Paragraph 2F allows a person who has previously been a member of the Parole Board but who has resigned from that office to be reappointed, provided the conditions laid out in paragraph 2E are fulfilled.
52.Paragraph 2G precludes the reappointment of a person who has been removed from office under the new paragraph 3 of schedule 2 to the 1993 Act.
53.Paragraph 2H provides that a person who is reappointed under paragraph 2E will be subject to the provisions of paragraphs 1 to 2D in the same way as a person who has been appointed for the first time.
54.Paragraph 2J requires the Chairman of the Parole Board to ensure that, where possible, each member of the Parole Board has the opportunity to participate in the functions of the Board for at least 20 days in each 12-month period.
