§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what efforts he is making to ensure that the magistrates bench throughout England and Wales is politically balanced.
Mr. John M. TaylorThe Lord Chancellor and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster seek, through their local advisory committees, to encourage applications from suitable people of all walks of life and political affiliations by means of press notice and articles, posters and leaflets, court open days and contact with local organisations and employers. Appointments are made from those considered to be suitable having proper regard to the various balancing factors, including political affiliation, so that each bench broadly reflects the community it serves.
§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the political balance of the magistrates bench in(a) the London borough of Brent and (b) England and Wales, broken down into petty sessional areas.
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Mr. John M. Taylor(a) The political affiliation of magistrates in the London borough of Brent, based on the latest information available, is as follows:
Conservative 79 Labour 43 Liberal/Democrat 18 Green 8 Independent/Not Known 18 (b) The individual political balance of each of the 406 petty sessional divisions in England and Wales could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Should the hon. Member require this information for a particular bench or benches it could be supplied to him.