HC Deb 26 January 1990 vol 165 cc935-6W
Mr. French

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his Department's responsibilities in respect of the administration of magistrates courts.

Mr. John Patten

The Home Secretary's statutory responsibilities are set out in appendix B1 to the report of the "Scrutiny of Magistrates' Courts 1989", a copy of which is in the Library. We are still considering the proposals in the report directed to the reconstitution of the administration of the magistrates courts service as an executive agency.