The name of the new full-time Judge of Appeal is to be announced shortly.

A selection panel has made its recommendation of a preferred candidate for this Crown position to the Lord Chancellor and a decision is awaited - officially - from the Queen.

Part-time Judge of Appeal Geoffrey Tattersall QC, who is based off-island, is due to retire next month at the end of his latest five-year term of office.

Questions were raised in Tynwald in May about the business case for moving from a part-time to a full-time, locally-based judge of appeal.

The successful candidate will be paid £179,768 a year, commensurate with that of the First Deemster and aligned with the UK judicial salary structure.

Attorney General John Quinn confirmed that the change to a full-time role did not need Tynwald approval.

The appointment of a full-time Judge of Appeal aims to reduce the burden of appeal work placed on the First and Second Deemsters and allow them to focus on other judicial commitments.

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: ’The Judge of Appeal is appointed by Her Majesty The Queen on the recommendation of a selection panel, following an open and transparent recruitment process.

’The current Judge of Appeal, Deemster Tattersall QC, is due to retire in September and an open and transparent recruitment process has been undertaken for his successor.

’A recommendation of a preferred candidate has been made to the Lord Chancellor for submission to Her Majesty. Her Majesty’s decision is awaited.

’As with any recruitment process, data protection requires that information regarding applicants is kept confidential.’

Mr Tattersall QC has held the part-time role of Judge of Appeal for 20 years. With his pending retirement, the Council of Ministers reviewed the requirements of the position is decided that it should become a full-time one.

When making that decision, CoMin took into account the findings of the Moneyval report into the island’s measures to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

The report referred to the need to consider introducing further judicial resources.

In additional information notes to shortlisted candidates, CoMin acknowledged that the Island is experiencing ’a difficult and uncertain time’ and strengthening the Appeal Division would ’support the rule of law’.

It explained that as well as continuing to preside over appeals, the new Judge of Appeal will lead work to modernise and transform judicial processes - strategic work prevented to date by the volume of work before the courts.