§ Mr. Nicholas Brownasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to enable him to act where local authorities have defaulted on their duties under the Local Government (Petty Sessional Divisions etc.) Order 1973.
§ Mr. MellorThe Local Government (Petty Sessional Divisions etc.) Order 1973 was a transitional measure arising from the reorganisation of local government in 1974. It laid a duty on the relevant new local authorities to defray certain expenditure on the magistrates' courts service which was incurred before 1 April 1974 in connection with reorganisation. General duties in respect of the funding of the magistrates' courts service are laid upon local authorities by part VI of the Justices of the Peace Act 1979. We have no evidence that local authorities have been in default in the performance of any of these duties.