§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Attorney-General what is the purpose of question 16 on political views on the form entitled "Particulars of Candidate for Appointment as a Justice of the Peace"; how this information is used; and if he will list for(a) Waltham Forest, (b) London and (c) nationally the number of justices of the peace, broken down by political views where they are known.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe purpose of question 16 is to ascertain the political views of a candidate so that the advisory committee can take this into account in its endeavour to bring before the Lord Chancellor a list of recommendations which meets his wish that the composition of each bench should broadly reflect the area it covers. Candidates do not have to answer this question if they do not wish to do so. At the last count the political allegiance of the members of the Waltham Forest bench was as follows:
670W
Number Conservatives 36 Labour 26 SLD/SDP (incorporating Liberal and SDP parties) 11 Independent or not known 19 These figures are based on information provided at the time of appointment. Figures for London and England and Wales could be provided only at disproportionate cost.