§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many magistrates are in post in the St. Helens and Knowsley court service. [5531]
§ Mr. LeslieI have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who is responsible for the appointment of magistrates in Merseyside, has provided the following information. There are 108 magistrates on the St. Helens bench and 94 on the Knowsley bench.
§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what measures are taken to make sure that people apply to be magistrates who declare themselves politically do not face discrimination. [5535]
§ Mr. LeslieI have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who is responsible for the appointment of magistrates in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, has asked me to say that an individual must be personally suitable for appointment as a magistrate before any other factors are considered. He will then take into account gender, residence, occupation, and political views in order to try and achieve a bench which reflects the community it serves.
§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the establishment figure is for magistrates in St. Helens and Knowsley. [5530]
§ Mr. LeslieI have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who is responsible for the appointment of magistrates in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, has asked me to say that the target number of magistrates required for the St. Helens bench is 130 and Knowsley bench 110.
§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what action the Lord Chancellor takes to monitor the(a) political balance of magistrates court and (b) residential areas from which magistrates are recruited. [5537]
§ Mr. LeslieI have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who is responsible for the appointment of magistrates in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and 453W Merseyside, has asked me to say that he takes into account the political balance of benches and candidates' areas of residence when considering appointments to a bench.
§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what action the Lord Chancellor's Department takes to make sure political balance among magistrates is maintained. [5534]
§ Mr. LeslieI have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who is responsible for the appointment of magistrates in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, publishes Directions to Advisory Committees on Justices of the Peace. The section on political balance states:
The political views of a candidate are neither a qualification nor a disqualification for appointment. However, the Chancellor requires, in the interests of balance, that the voting pattern for the area as evidenced by the last two general elections, should be broadly reflected in the composition of the bench.The same Directions are published by the Lord Chancellor for Advisory Committees in the remainder of England and Wales.
§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many people applied to be magistrates in St. Helens and Knowsley in 2000. [5533]
§ Mr. LeslieI have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who is responsible for the appointment of magistrates in Merseyside, has provided the following information. During 2000, 13 candidates applied to become magistrates on the St. Helens bench and 14 on the Knowsley bench.
§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if the Lord Chancellor will make it a requirement for all people to declare their political allegiance in order to maintain the political balance in the magistrates courts system. [5536]
§ Mr. LeslieI have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who is responsible for the appointment of magistrates in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, has asked me to say that application forms for the magistracy require applicants to state which political party they generally support.
§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the current political balance of magistrates is in courts in St. Helens and Knowsley. [5532]
§ Mr. LeslieI have been asked to reply.
454W
Comparison with performance in 1998–99 and MPs' correspondence Responses within target (1) Performance on MPs' correspondence1 2000 (%) Department/agency Target (working days) 2000–01 (%) 1999–2000(%) 1998–99(%) Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (2) 15 91 92 91 30 Cabinet Office 15 96 99 100 85 Crown Prosecution Service (3) 10 n/a 88 83 100 Department for Culture, Media and Sport 18 85 81 71 82 HM Customs and Excise 10 93 94 91 68 Ministry of Defence (4) 20 81 84 78 78 My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who is responsible for the appointment of magistrates in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, has provided the following information on the political balance of the St. Helens and Knowsley benches.
St. Helens Knowsley Labour 19 25 Conservative 21 30 Liberal Democrat 12 16 Other/uncommitted 56 23