§ 25. Mr. HoyleTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will make a statement on the age criteria for applying to be a magistrate in Lancashire. [144223]
§ Marjorie MowlamMy directions for advisory committees on justice of the peace state that I will not generally appoint a candidate under the age of 27 or over the age of 65. This is the same criteria used by the Lord Chancelor in the remainder of England and Wales. In 1998, the age limit was raised to 65 by the Lord Chancellor and the then Chancellor of the Duchy in order to allow more people taking early retirement to apply for the magistracy.