Magistrates Courts (Hansard, 30 November 1992)

§ 40. Mr. Win Griffiths
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what measures he intends to take to ensure the efficient administration of justice in magistrates courts.

Mr. John M. Taylor
The Government's plans for the future of the magistrates courts service were set out in the White Paper, "A New Framework for Local Justice". One of the objectives of the plans, which are in line with the guiding principles of the citizens charter, is to yield improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of the service.

§ Mr. Griffiths
Has the Minister had the misfortune of attending a magistrates court as a witness, as I did in October, having had my car stolen in September? When I arrived at the due time, none of the three defendants were present. There were, however, four other witnesses besides 16 myself, including three public-spirited men from the village where the alleged thieves came from. The case had to be postponed, which must have caused much expense. The Lord Chancellor's Department should be making effective proposals to ensure that such events do not happen. Does he know how much the non-appearance of defendants is costing?

Mr. Taylor
I am sure that the hon. Gentleman did not invite me to the Dispatch Box to discuss his case, but rather the kind of difficulties that it represents. The White Paper "A New Framework for Local Justice" tries, above all, to achieve not merely best practice between different magistrates benches but the co-operation of all the agencies involved in court cases. It is only fair to bear it in mind, however, that it is extremely difficult to sustain a case when the defendant does not turn up because he is involved in a simultaneous court case somewhere else and does not bother to tell the court. Little can be done about that until magistrates courts are linked by a computer network, and it is our intention that they should be.

§ Mr. Barry Porter
As an even cheaper solicitor than my hon. Friend and, I think I can say without fear of contradiction, an even better one, may I ask whether he has taken into account the views of the Bar Council that magistrates courts should sit at night, for some reason that is not entirely clear to me? Does he realise that if that suggestion were implemented, the solicitors' branch of the profession would have to work 12, 14 or 16 hours a day, unlike the more elevated and elegant members of the Bar? I hope that he will take that into account.

Mr. Taylor
I will not follow my hon. Friend in the terms and idiom that he put his question, but I am prepared to take a close interest in and look at the suggestion of evening sittings to see whether it would advantage the court user, whose needs should be first and foremost.

§ Mr. Cohen
The Parliamentary Secretary must be aware that the administration of justice in poll tax cases—[Interruption] is nothing short of a national scandal. Magistrates have the power to insist on means inquiries and to waive charges where hardship is proven but are not using either of them. Will the Minister look at this as a matter of urgency because many people are suffering?

Mr. Taylor
The hon. Gentleman is right to draw attention to the working of the Children Act 1989 in the courts. A provisional review of the Act's workings show that it is broadly satisfactorily, but I share the hon. Gentleman's suspicion that some magistrates courts are working better than others. That is why fewer things could be more urgent that the introduction of an inspectorate of magistrates courts to achieve best practice in all magistrates courts.