§ LORD SCHUSTERMy Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask the Lord Chancellor whether he will issue a table showing in respect of every borough (whether county or non-county), having a separate commission of the peace and a court of quarter sessions, the number of its population and the number of persons committed for trial at that court during the years 1947 and 1948 respectively.]
§ LORD CHORLEYMy Lords, my noble and learned friend the Lord Chancellor, who is unable to be present owing to the demand of Judicial Business, has asked me to express his apologies to your Lordships and to reply to this Question. Perhaps I may parenthetically remark that he is engaged in the Appellate Committee of your Lordships' House, where he is serving in order that a court may be constituted and the work made up. The noble and learned Viscount's reply is as follows: "I am arranging for this table to be circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT. It has not been possible, within the time available, to obtain the figures for the number of persons committed for trial at borough quarter sessions. I therefore propose, with the permission of the noble Lord, to give the figures for the number of cases actually tried. For convenience of reference, I will also give the figures for the cases tried at county quarter sessions during the same period."
§ LORD SCHUSTERI am very much obliged to the noble Lord, and to the noble and learned Viscount for the action he proposes to take.
§ Following is the table referred to:
| TABLE | |||
| Population (to nearest 1,000) | Number of Cases for Trial | ||
| 1947 | 1948 | ||
| BEDFORDSHIRE | 300,000 | 50 | 60 |
| Bedford | 53,000 | 8 | 30 |
| BERKSHIRE | 392,000 | 28 | 48 |
| Abingdon | 10,000 | 13 | 8 |
| Newbury | 18,000 | 12 | 13 |
| *Reading | 114,000 | 56 | 49 |
| Windsor | 22,000 | 5 | 6 |
| BUCKINGHAMSHIRE | 375,000 | 61 | 123 |
| *Denotes a County Borough. |
| Population (to nearest 1,000) | Number of Cases for Trial | ||
| 1947 | 1948 | ||
| CAMBRIDGESHIRE | 163,000 | 11 | 34 |
| Cambridge | 86,000 | 12 | 31 |
| Isle of Ely | 89,000 | 10 | 12 |
| CHESHIRE | 1,227,000 | — | — |
| Chester Sessions | — | 62 | 86 |
| Knutsford Sessions | — | 71 | 104 |
| *Birkenhead | 141,000 | 79 | 65 |
| *Chester | 47,000 | 5 | 17 |
| CORNWALL | 331,000 | 33 | 55 |
| Penzance | 20,000 | 20 | 21 |
| CUMBERLAND | 276,000 | 21 | 23 |
| *Carlisle | 65,000 | 14 | 25 |
| DERBYSHIRE | 815,000 | 62 | 90 |
| *Derby | 142,000 | 31 | 37 |
| DEVONSHIRE | 764,000 | 41 | 74 |
| Barnstaple | 16,000 | — | — |
| Bideford | 10,000 | — | 1 |
| *Exeter | 76,000 | 13 | 12 |
| *Plymouth | 189,000 | 72 | 80 |
| South Molton | 3,000 | — | — |
| Tiverton | 11,000 | 1 | 3 |
| DORSETSHIRE | 273,000 | 30 | 41 |
| Poole | 81,000 | 22 | 31 |
| DURHAM | 1,451,000 | 97 | 114 |
| *Sunderland | 181,000 | 38 | 45 |
| ESSEX | 1,988,000 | 295 | 328 |
| Colchester | 53,000 | 25 | 32 |
| Maldon | 10,000 | 1 | 1 |
| Saffron Walden | 7,000 | 1 | — |
| *Southend-on-Sea | 148,000 | 88 | 79 |
| *West Ham | 174,000 | 16 | 27 |
| GLOUCESTERSHIRE | 922,000 | 54 | 66 |
| *Bristol | 437,000 | 92 | 137 |
| *Gloucester | 64,000 | 58 | 59 |
| Tewkesbury | 5,000 | — | 1 |
| HAMPSHIRE | 1,112,000 | 159 | 175 |
| Andover | 14,000 | 7 | 31 |
| *Bournemouth | 138,000 | 28 | 45 |
| *Portsmouth | 218,000 | 48 | 111 |
| *Southampton | 180,000 | 96 | 96 |
| Winchester | 27,000 | 50 | 67 |
| HEREFORDSHIRE | 124,000 | 11 | 21 |
| Hereford | 32,000 | 11 | 26 |
| HERTFORDSHIRE | 593,000 | — | — |
| Hertford Sessions | — | 48 | 72 |
| St. Albans Sessions | — | 81 | 67 |
| HUNTINGDONSHIRE | 64,000 | 16 | 16 |
| KENT | 1,512,000 | ||
| East Kent Sessions | — | 69 | 82 |
| West Kent Sessions | — | 210 | 292 |
| *Canterbury | 26,000 | 2 | 6 |
| Deal | 23,000 | 9 | 8 |
| Dover | 33,000 | 7 | 10 |
| Faversham | 12,000 | — | 2 |
| Folkestone | 42,000 | 5 | 10 |
| Gravesend | 43,000 | 6 | 10 |
| Hythe | 9,000 | 6 | 1 |
| Maidstone | 53,000 | 9 | 17 |
| Margate | 41,000 | 13 | 19 |
| Rochester | 42,000 | 4 | 7 |
| Sandwich | 4,000 | 12 | 4 |
| Tenterden | 4,000 | — | 3 |
| *Denotes a County Borough. |
| Population (to nearest 1,000) | Number of Cases for trial | ||
| 1947 | 1948 | ||
| LANCASHIRE | 5,077,000 | — | — |
| Lancaster Sessions | — | 27 | 11 |
| Liverpool Sessions | — | 176 | 225 |
| Manchester Sessions | — | 163 | 259 |
| Preston Sessions | — | 378 | 286 |
| *Blackburn | 112,000 | 23 | 30 |
| *Blackpool | 149,000 | No Court | 28 |
| *Bolton | 168,000 | 32 | 47 |
| *Burnley | 85,000 | 31 | 37 |
| *Liverpool | 796,000 | 226 | 263 |
| *Manchester | 697,000 | 185 | 231 |
| *Oldham | 121,000 | 35 | 36 |
| *Salford | 179,000 | 51 | 76 |
| *Wigan | 85,000 | 14 | 7 |
| LEICESTERSHIRE | 622,000 | 43 | 43 |
| *Leicester | 281,000 | 110 | 89 |
| LINCOLNSHIRE | |||
| Parts of Holland | 101,000 | 14 | 17 |
| Parts of Kesteven | 121,000 | 15 | 21 |
| Parts of Lindsey | 458,000 | 38 | 46 |
| Grantham | 23,000 | 5 | 8 |
| *Grimsby | 91,000 | 28 | 18 |
| Stamford | 11,000 | 6 | 3 |
| *Lincoln | 68,000 | 17 | 20 |
| LONDON | 3,374,000 | — | — |
| North of Thames | — | 1,057 | 1,268 |
| South of Thames | — | 480 | 589 |
| MIDDLESEX | 2,273,000 | 416 | 424 |
| MONMOUTHSHIRE | 422,000 | 59 | 104 |
| NORFOLK | 522,000 | — | — |
| Western Sessions | — | 10 | 13 |
| Eastern Sessions | — | 51 | 48 |
| *Great Yarmouth | 52,000 | 7 | 13 |
| King's Lynn | 26,000 | 14 | 14 |
| *Norwich | 119,000 | 42 | 54 |
| Thetford | 4,000 | 9 | 3 |
| NORTHAMPTONSHIRE | 354,000 | 37 | 45 |
| Liberty of Peterborough | 63,000 | 24 | 19 |
| *Northampton | 104,000 | 22 | 17 |
| *NORTHUMBERLAND | 794,000 | 44 | 45 |
| Berwick-on-Tweed | 12,000 | 5 | 2 |
| *Newcastle-upon-Tyne | 294,000 | 71 | 81 |
| NOTTINGHAMSHIRE | 821,000 | — | — |
| Nottingham Sessions | — | 34 | 75 |
| Retford & Newark Sessions | — | 45 | 44 |
| Newark | 23,000 | 7 | 8 |
| *Nottingham | 299,000 | 53 | 85 |
| OXFORDSHIRE | 268,000 | 19 | 35 |
| Banbury | 19,000 | 11 | 5 |
| *Oxford | 106,000 | 32 | 50 |
| RUTLAND | 20,000 | 3 | 4 |
| SALOP | 271,000 | 19 | 21 |
| Bridgnorth | 6,000 | — | 2 |
| Ludlow | 6,000 | 1 | — |
| Oswestry | 11,000 | 5 | — |
| Shrewsbury | 45,000 | 21 | 18 |
| Wenlock | 15,000 | 1 | 4 |
| SOMERSETSHIRE | 542,000 | 63 | 78 |
| *Bath | 77,000 | 22 | 30 |
| Bridgwater | 22,000 | 19 | 25 |
| *Denotes a County Borough. |
| Population (to nearest 1,000) | Number of Cases for trial | ||
| 1947 | 1948 | ||
| STAFFORDSHIRE | 1,592,000 | 104 | 108 |
| *Burton-upon-Trent | 49,000 | 10 | 8 |
| Lichfield | 10,000 | 10 | 17 |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 70,000 | 10 | 21 |
| *Smethwick | 77,000 | 6 | 15 |
| *Stoke-on-Trent | 274,000 | 71 | 83 |
| *Walsall | 113,000 | 36 | 49 |
| *West Bromwich | 86,000 | 35 | 19 |
| *Wolverhampton | 160,000 | 50 | 65 |
| SUFFOLK | |||
| East Suffolk | 316,000 | 36 | 32 |
| West Suffolk | 112,000 | 12 | 15 |
| *Ipswich | 103,000 | 17 | 17 |
| Bury St. Edmunds | 19,000 | 12 | 7 |
| Sudbury | 7,000 | 1 | — |
| SURREY | 1,582,000 | 288 | 370 |
| *Croydon | 249,000 | 57 | 51 |
| Guildford | 46,000 | 13 | 3 |
| SUSSEX | |||
| East Sussex | 611,000 | 60 | 65 |
| West Sussex | 310,0O0 | 82 | 81 |
| *Brighton | 155,000 | 47 | 53 |
| *Hastings | 65,000 | 23 | 27 |
| Rye | 4,000 | 11 | 9 |
| Chichester | 18,000 | 4 | 1 |
| WARWICKSHIRE | 1,833,000 | 74 | 70 |
| *Birmingham | 1,104,000 | 224 | 280 |
| *Coventry | 252,000 | 76 | 125 |
| Warwick | 15,000 | 2 | 10 |
| WESTMORLAND | 67,000 | 10 | 6 |
| WILTSHIRE | 349,000 | 77 | 118 |
| Devizes | 7,000 | 58 | 31 |
| Salisbury | 33,000 | 9 | 14 |
| WORCESTERSHIRE | 514,000 | 84 | 104 |
| *Dudley | 63,000 | 11 | 27 |
| *Worcester | 61,000 | 11 | 16 |
| YORKSHIRE | |||
| East Riding | 505,000 | 25 | 33 |
| North Riding | 497,000 | 33 | 52 |
| West Riding | 3,552,000 | 228 | 228 |
| Liberty of Ripon | 5,317 | 2 | 3 |
| *Kingston upon Hull | 297,000 | 79 | 81 |
| *Middlesbrough | 114,000 | 39 | 24 |
| Richmond | 5,000 | 9 | 4 |
| Scarborough | 45,000 | 9 | 11 |
| *York | 104,000 | 41 | 26 |
| *Bradford | 290,000 | 133 | 158 |
| *Doncaster | 80,000 | 16 | 29 |
| *Halifax | 97,000 | 30 | 58 |
| *Huddersfield | 128,000 | 54 | 55 |
| *Leeds | 504,000 | 288 | 238 |
| Pontefract | 23,000 | 4 | 7 |
| *Rotherham | 81,000 | 16 | 25 |
| *Sheffield | 512,000 | 113 | 127 |
| WALES | |||
| ANGLESEY | 49,000 | 4 | 1 |
| BRECONSHIRE | 54,000 | 9 | 11 |
| CAERNARVONSHIRE | 123,000 | 18 | 13 |
| CARDIGANSHIRE | 54,000 | 1 | 3 |
| CARMARTHENSHIRE | 170,000 | 13 | 13 |
| Carmarthen | 13,000 | 13 | 8 |
| DENBIGHSHIRE | 168,000 | 22 | 20 |
| *Denotes a Count Borough. |
| Population (to nearest 1,000) | Number of Cases for trial | ||
| 1947 | 1948 | ||
| FLINTSHIRE | 139,000 | 9 | 19 |
| GLAMORGANSHIRE | 1,185,000 | 66 | 77 |
| *Cardiff | 242,000 | 79 | 104 |
| *Merthyr Tydfil | 60,000 | 22 | 9 |
| *Swansea | 159,000 | 33 | 72 |
| MERIONETHSHIRE | 39,000 | 1 | 3 |
| MONTGOMERYSHIRE | 45,000 | 3 | 19 |
| PEMBROKESHIRE | 86,000 | 22 | 21 |
| Haverfordwest Town and County | — | 5 | 4 |
| RADNORSHIRE | 20,000 | 3 | 5 |