HC Deb 03 November 1998 vol 318 cc678-80
33. Mr. Bob Russell (Colchester)

What criteria are used to determine whether a magistrates court should close. [56136]

The Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department (Mr. Geoffrey Hoon)

There are no statutory criteria. Magistrates courts are locally managed by magistrates courts committees under the provisions of the Justices of the Peace Act 1997. It is for individual MCCs to identify their own criteria when deciding their own accommodation needs, after consultation with the local paying authority. My Department has no role other than to determine any appeals arising from a local dispute.

Mr. Russell

Does the Minister agree that magistrates courts committees are quangos, and that they are strangled by the amount of money that is provided by the Lord Chancellor's Department? Does he agree also that the vast majority of cases dealt with by magistrates courts committees could be dealt with locally, and that there is a hidden plan to close magistrates courts across the country—as hon. Members on both sides of the House know?

Mr. Hoon

I assure the hon. Gentleman that there is no hidden plan. I was also slightly surprised at the tone of his question, which effectively challenged the importance of local decision making. I should remind him that far too much power has been concentrated in Westminster and Whitehall", and that democratic government should be close to ordinary people".

Mr. Russell

Rubbish.

Mr. Hoon

The hon. Gentleman says that, but those words should sound vaguely familiar to him, as they are from the Liberal Democrats' manifesto, on which he was elected in May 1997.

Mr. Ian Bruce (South Dorset)

Surely one of the problems with magistrates courts is that sufficient numbers of cases are not being referred to them. Is there nothing that the Government can do to ensure that matters such as juvenile crime are dealt with more in magistrates courts, and that we shorten the time that it continues to take between charging and an appearance before a magistrate?

Mr. Hoon

As the hon. Gentleman will know, one of the Government's basic promises to the electorate was to speed up youth justice. We are doing that, the work is under way and we are seeing the results up and down the country.