HC Deb 10 March 1975 vol 888 cc24-6
52. Mr. Sims

asked the Attorney-General what is his policy towards adding to the membership of the Lord Chancellor's Advisory Committee on the Training of Magistrates so as to include representatives of those persons involved in the work of magistrates' courts.

The Attorney-General (Mr. S. C. Silkin)

My noble Friend's policy is to ensure that the committee is well qualified to give him the advice which he requires on the training of magistrates. He is satisfied that it is so. It does include several members who are directly involved in the work of magistrates' courts. It has also called for the views of those, including the relevant representative bodies, who may be able to assist it in its task. With permission, I shall circulate in the Official Report the membership and qualifications of the committee, which have already been published in the Press.

Mr. Sims

I am grateful to the right hon. and learned Gentleman for that reply. Does he agree that most members of the advisory committee are magistrates or magistrates' clerks? Does he accept that there are other court officers, such as probation officers and possibly even police, whose advice and experience would be of some value to the advisory committee? Will he consider drawing upon such sources of experience?

The Attorney-General

Of course the experience of people such as the hon. Gentleman has suggested is extremely valuable. The committee has invited memoranda from a substantial number of organisations, including some to which the hon. Gentleman has referred. The work of the committee is sufficiently advanced to make reconstitution inappropriate, and we hope that work will not be slowed down in that way.

Mr. Watkinson

Does my right hon. and learned Friend not consider it timely to consider the training of the judiciary generally? Does he not think it right to impose mandatory training on all judges, particularly High Court judges in matters of sentencing?

The Attorney-General

Mandatory training is not a matter for me. My hon. Friend will be aware that judges do have sentencing conferences from time to time, and in the course of those conferences they meet people of all kinds of different disciplines. That is of great assistance from the point of view of the question which my hon. Friend asked.

Following is the information:

LORD CHANCELLOR'S ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON THE TRAINING OF MAGISTRATES

Members

The Honourable Sir Leslie Boreham (Chairman). Judge of the High Court, Queen's Bench Division.

Sir Thomas Skyrme, KCVO, CB, CBE, TD (Vice-Chairman). Secretary of Commissions to the Lord Chancellor and a Justice of the Peace for the City of London.

Mr. E. R. Horsman, OBE (Secretary). Training Officer in the Lord Chancellor's Office. Formerly Clerk to the Justices of Eastleigh, Romsey and Totton. One-time President of the Justices' Clerks' Society.

Sir William Addison, DL. Chairman of the Council of the Magistrates' Association. A Justice of the Peace for the County of Essex and Chairman of the Epping and Ongar Division.

Mr. W. H. Clarke. Justice of the Peace for the County of Hereford and Worcester. Member of the Executive and Treatment of Offenders Committees of the Magistrates' Association and of the Central Council of Magistrates' Courts Committees.

Mr. D. A. Crockatt, MBE, DL. Justice of the Peace for West Yorkshire. Member of the Council of the Magistrates' Association and Chairman of the Training Committee of the Council.

Mr. C. J. S. French, QC. Barrister at Law Recorder.

Dr. D. E. Gray, MBE, PhD. Senior Lecturer, Department of Extramural Studies, University of Birmingham. Justice of the Peace for the West Midlands and Chairman of the Solihull Division. Member of the Central Council of Magistrates' Courts Committees.

Mr. F. H. Hatchard. Clerk to the Justices for Walsall.

Mr. J. B. Horsman, OBE. Clerk to the Justices for Wigan. President of the Justices' Clerks' Society.

Mr. R. L. Jones. Assistant Secretary, Home Office.

Mr. D. W. Jones-Williams, OBE, MC, TD, DL. Commissioner for local administration for Wales. Formerly Circuit Administrator for Wales and Clerk of the Peace and Magistrates' Training Officer for the County of Merioneth.

Mrs. N. M. Lowry. Metropolitan Stipendiary Magistrate.

Mrs. N. M. McGregor. Justice of the Peace for Inner London. Member of the Central Council of Magistrates' Courts Committees.

His Honour Judge Mynett, QC. Circuit fudge. Mr. Eric Taylor. Solicitor.