§ Mr. Skeetasked the Attorney-General whether he will ascertain, following the progressive growth of Milton Keynes, whether there is greater economy and convenience in having Crown courts in Bedford rather than in Luton.
The Solicitor-GeneralThe intention is to provide the Crown court centre for Bedfordshire at Luton. The use of Bedford will be considered only if it is not possible to locate the centre at Luton. This follows the recommendation in the Beeching report and takes account also of current forecasts of population trends.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Attorney-General what he estimates will be the cost of building six new Crown courts in Luton as compared with using courts in Bedford in use and adapting existing buildings for the purpose.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Attorney-General if he will consider the desirability of maintaining Crown courts in Bedford in close proximity to the only major remand prison in the region.
The Solicitor-GeneralThe location of the remand prison is not thought to be a sufficiently strong factor to outweigh the other advantages which favour Luton.