§ Mr. LilleyTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many people were(a) called for jury service and (b) served on juries in the most recent year for which figures are available. [17145]
§ Mr. WillsFor the period January to December this year, 579,033 summonses for jury service were issued, to supply around 187,000 potential jurors to the courts. There are no figures available on how many people actually served on juries. However, a recent Home Office research project confirmed that, in a sample of 50,000 people summoned for jury service in June and July 1999, only one-third was available to attend. About one-third of these had their service deferred until a later date. Of the remaining two-thirds, 13 per cent. were ineligible, disqualified or excused as of right, 38 per cent. were excused and 15 per cent. either failed to attend on the day or their summonses were returned as "undelivered".