HC Deb 22 February 2000 vol 344 c1363
27. Mr. Graham Brady (Altrincham and Sale, West)

If he will make a statement on the closure of county courts in England. [109640]

The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (Jane Kennedy)

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer that I provided to a similar question from him on 12 January. The Court Service is committed to ensuring that it achieves value for money from its assets and properties and provides good services to its customers. It constantly reviews its estates in the light of work load trends, the state of the available facilities and local county court users' needs.

Mr. Brady

I am grateful to the Minister for that response. She is aware that I have raised this subject from time to time. In her written answer to me of 25 January, she listed a number of county courts that are proposed for closure. I was pleased that the courts at Altrincham, Leigh and Tameside were not on that list. Can I take it from that that the Government have seen sense and decided not to proceed with the planned closure of those county courts? Do the Government now understand the vital service that those courts perform for the community?

Jane Kennedy

A preliminary court-user survey has been conducted in the Manchester area, which includes the Altrincham, Leigh and Tameside county courts. Such surveys play a very important role in informing the decisions of the Court Service, and they are often a precursor to seeking the Lord Chancellor's approval for formal consultation on possible closures. However, at present there are no plans to take the matter forward.

Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody (Crewe and Nantwich)

Will my hon. Friend the Minister remain her normal, totally impartial self and simply ensure that under no circumstances will Crewe lose its county court?

Jane Kennedy

I shall take my hon. Friend's comments on board.