Another two women are expected to join the judicial ranks today when the appointment of three magistrates is announced.

Edwina Grima, Doreen Clarke and Anthony Ellul are all under 40 and were chairmen of the Small Claims Tribunal. Dr Grima and Dr Ellul served for just under five years while Dr Ellul was appointed 18 months ago. They will replace magistrates Denis Montebello and Joe Cassar who recently retired. When contacted, Justice Parliamentary Secretary Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici said the government had decided to appoint three rather than two magistrates in order to deal with the backlog of cases in Malta and Gozo.

He said the extra manpower would come in useful since the civil jurisdiction of the Magistrates' Court was being extended from Lm5,000 to Lm10,000. This would also mean cases would be settled more quickly.

Six of the 14 magistrates are now women. Although it reflects the make up of the legal profession in court these days - around half the lawyers are women - it is also a clear sign of a government policy to install women in senior positions.

Magistrate Abigail Lofaro and lawyer Anna Felice became Malta's first women judges last September, when lawyer Audrey Demicoli became a magistrate.

In 2004, Cecilia Attard Pirotta became the first woman permanent secretary when she was named the top civil servant at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

More changes are expected to take place at the courts in the coming months.