§ Mr. BerminghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether proposals for changes to the magistrates courts system will extend beyond administrative improvements to existing arrangements; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. John PattenWe have not yet reached decisions on the reorganisation proposals in the report of the scrutiny of magistrates courts. We are still considering the views expressed by interested bodies in the light of the assessment by independent consultants last year of the costs of implementation.
§ Mr. BerminghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that savings obtained through the cash limiting of the magistrates courts in England and Wales will not reduce the efficiency of the magistrates courts system or prolong judicial processes; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. John PattenWe are consulting the representative bodies of the magistrates courts service and the local authority associations about the mechanics of cash limiting current grant. The proposals underpinning the consultations envisage the allocation of grant to magistrates' courts committee areas by a formula based on variables including the number of weighted cases completed in those areas and which is intended not only to reflect the different needs of different committees in providing a standard level of service but also to create incentives for the more effective and efficient management of court business without interfering with the courts' independent judicial functions.