Newly-appointed Bar Council chairman Timothy Dutton QC has called for an improvement in the QC selection process to make sure it is completed annually, warning that an overly bureaucratic system could put candidates off.

The 2007 silk round, which is due to be announced in the coming weeks, will see a batch of QCs appointed 18 months after the first batch of silks were unveiled under the revamped kitemark.

Dutton is consulting with the profession on the new process, which was set up in 2005 as an independent replacement for the Government in handing out the award. He is keen to make sure the process is annual and that it carries the confidence of the profession.

The 333 applicants for the 2007 round are awaiting the results later this month and the formal ceremony is planned for March. Dutton said he will now attempt to kickstart the next silk round "fairly soon" in order that the announcements can be made in January 2009.

Dutton told Legal Week: "I am interested in maintaining a healthy QC appointments system that is annualised, effective and well-run. We do not want strong candidates to be put off by having an overly bureaucratic system."

The process, which is overseen by the nine-member QC appointments panel, chaired by Sir Duncan Nichol, experienced delays due to a number of changes made to the entry criteria to streamline the application process.

It is uncertain whether any further changes will be made to the application process, such as references and costs, but Dutton has commissioned a paper looking into this, with the results expected shortly.