HC Deb 18 January 1994 vol 235 cc453-4W
Mr. Barry Jones

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many magistrates' clerks committees the Lord Chancellor has met in(a) England and (b) Wales; and if he will list each venue he has visited and organisation he has met.

Mr. John M. Taylor

The Lord Chancellor has not attended any formal meetings of magistrates courts committees, nor have all the members of any magistrates' courts committee attended a meeting with him. However, during his visits to magistrates courts, meetings with representative bodies from the service, meeting with magistrates and staff from particular areas and attendance as a speaker at gatherings of magistrates, he has met and talked to members of various magistrates courts committees.

Mr. Barry Jones

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many magistrates courts have closed since 1979; how many court closures are currently scheduled.

Mr. John M. Taylor

The provision of magistrates court house accommodation is a matter for the courts committee for the area concerned in conjunction with the local paying authority. The Department has no central record of the number of magistrates courthouses that have been closed or are scheduled to be closed. A local authority that is aggrieved by a decision of a magistrates court committee to close a courthouse has the right of appeal to the Lord Chancellor. In 1993 the Lord Chancellor dealt with six appeals.

Mr. Barry Jones

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is his estimate of the annual cost of supporting the courts units of management.

Mr. John M. Taylor

The administrative costs of the magistrates courts service depend on decisions taken by magistrates' courts committees, the local managers of the service, about how the service in their area is organised. It is likely that costs will vary between magistrates courts committee areas, according to their decisions taken in the light of local circumstances.

Mr. Barry Jones

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what principles and objectives he has in mind in the amalgamation of magistrates courts committees.

Mr. John M. Taylor

The objectives of the reforms set out in the White Paper "A New Framework for Local Justice" included yielding improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of the service, and securing maximum co-operation in the management of the service with other parts of the criminal justice system. The Government believe that a reduction in the number of areas from the present 105 to 50 to 60 would provide a good balance between the local character of the service and operational needs.

Mr. Barry Jones

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many individual letters the Lord Chancellor has received from magistrates concerning his court reforms.

Mr. John M. Taylor

The Lord Chancellor has received approximately 300 letters from members of the magistrates courts service and other interested bodies, the majority of which were from serving magistrates. However, it is not possible to give an accurate figure of the number of magistrates that have written to the Lord Chancellor since this information is not recorded.