HL Deb 30 January 1989 vol 503 c980WA
Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What population they normally consider sufficient to justify the continuation of an existing Magistrates' Court in southern England.

Earl Ferrers

There is no specific level of population which by itself determines whether it is sensible for a petty sessional division to be maintained as such or amalgamated with others. When deciding whether or not to make an order giving effect to proposals by a magistrates' courts' committee for changes in divisions, the Secretary of State takes into account a number of factors other than population, including the number of justices and their frequency of sitting, the geographical location of the courts concerned, the availability of transport, the courts' caseload, and the likely costs and savings of amalgamation.