§ Mr. RookerTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement outlining the reasons for his policy of not appointing the spouse of a serving police officer to the magistrates bench; and what other categories of spouse are covered by this policy.
Mr. John M. TaylorIn considering the suitability of candidates for appointment to the lay magistracy the Lord Chancellor must have due regard to maintaining the perceived independence of the magistracy. Accordingly, his policy is not to appoint the spouse of a police officer. The Lord Chancellor's Directions for Advisory Committees on Justices of the Peace, a copy of which is in the Library of the House (paragraph 4.21), sets out the other categories of spouse covered by a similar policy.
§ Mr. MilburnTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the anticipated cost of retraining magistrates in the light of the proposed changes to the Criminal Justice Act 1991.
Mr. John M. TaylorStatutory responsibility for providing training and retraining magistrates lies with the 105 magistrates courts committees in England and Wales. At this stage it is not possible to say what retraining will be required in the light of the proposed changes in the Criminal Justice Act 1991 or to estimate its cost.