§ Mr. ChallenTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many magistrates in the Leeds district currently serve on the present petty sessional area benches; and for each of those PSA benches how many reside in the areas served by those benches. [10292]
§ Mr. WillsThe Advisory Committee has provided the figures requested on the numbers of magistrates on the four benches covered by the Leeds Advisory Committee. They are set out in the table. By statute, magistrates must live in the commission area in which they serve or within 753W 15 miles of its boundaries. There is no requirement for them to live in the petty sessional area to which they are assigned.
Number of magistrates in the Leeds area Petty sessional area Number of magistrates Number living within the petty sessional area Leeds 309 204 Morley 22 20 Pudsey and Otley 33 31 Skyrack and Wetherby 48 41 Total 412 296