§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Who were the compilers of the 1989 scrutiny of the Magistrates' Courts which has been published by the Stationery Office under the Home Office crest, and contains a list of team members in an annex in Volume 2; what were their qualifications; whether the scrutiny is intended as a consultation document; and who is being invited to comment, or expected to act, on the many recommendations made by whoever was responsible for its compilation.
The Minister of State, Home Office (Earl Ferrers)The report of the scrutiny of the Magistrates' Courts Service 1989 was prepared by Mr. J. Le Vay assisted by the other members of the scrutiny team named in Annex A to Volume 2 of the report. They were selected on the basis of their performance of a wide range of responsibilities within the government departments concerned. As promised when the report was published, the Government have undertaken extensive consultations on its recommendations, including those directed to the reconstitution of the magistrates' courts service as an executive agency. Comments have been received from most magistrates' courts committees, and discussions have taken place with the Magistrates' Association and the other representative bodies. My right honourable friend the Home Secretary has made it clear that he will not reach decisions on the agency recommendations until 851WA he has had an opportunity to consider the results of an assessment of the costs involved now being undertaken by independent consultants.