§ Mr. TraceyTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is his assessment of the cost of the establishment of the office of chief justices' clerk across the country.
Mr. John M. TaylorThe cost of the establishment of the post of chief justices' clerk will largely depend on decisions taken locally by magistrates courts committees, and by the size of particular areas and organisations. The indicative start-up costs of the changes planned for the magistrates courts were referred to in the Government's White Paper "A New Framework for Local Justice" as around £5 million. It is expected that some of the costs attributable to the appointment of chief justices' clerks will be met by a reallocation of resources rather than additional expenditure. Inquiries made in several areas where shadow chief justices' clerks have already been appointed indicate that the resulting savings can exceed the costs.