Interpretation of Part 3

1 In this Part— “ part of the United Kingdom ” means England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland; “ the senior judges ” means— the judges of the Supreme Court; the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales; the Master of the Rolls; the Lord President of the Court of Session; the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland; the Lord Justice Clerk; the President of the Queen's Bench Division; the President of the Family Division; the Chancellor of the High Court; “ the Supreme Court ” means the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. 2 In this Part— a “ high judicial office ” means office as a judge of any of the following courts— i the Supreme Court; ii the Court of Appeal in England and Wales; iii the High Court in England and Wales; iv the Court of Session; v the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland; vi the High Court in Northern Ireland; or as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary; b a person appointed to the office of Lord Chancellor on or after 12 June 2003 who holds, or held, office of a kind referred to in paragraph (a) (“the qualifying office”) is to be regarded as holding, or having held, high judicial office only if— i he has ceased to be Lord Chancellor by virtue of that appointment, and ii he holds, or held, the qualifying office otherwise than by virtue of that appointment as Lord Chancellor. 3 In this Part— a “ ordinary judge ” means a judge of the Supreme Court who is not the President or the Deputy President of the Court; b the senior ordinary judge at any time is, of the ordinary judges at that time, the one who has served longest as a judge of the Court (whether over one or more periods and whether or not including one or more previous periods as President or Deputy President). 4 Service as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary counts as service as a judge of the Court for the purposes of subsection (3)(b). 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .