§ Lord Hutchinson of Lullingtonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why they have rejected the proposals in paragraph 10.186 of Lord Justice Woolf's report on prison disturbances that a senior judge or his 12WA representative should be invited to be the chairman of the area committees to be established under the auspices of the Criminal Consultative Council.
The Minister of State, Home Office (Earl Ferrers)After consultation, it was concluded that judicial representation in the new liaison structures should be met by the presence of Lord Justice Farquharson and Judge Elizabeth Fisher on the Criminal Justice Consultative Council and continued judicial chairmanship of Crown Court user groups.
Appropriate arrangements will be made to ensure that the judiciary is kept informed of the work of the area committees by the respective chairman. These arrangements will be kept under review as the work of the committees develops.