§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the latest number of judges serving in England and Wales; how many of these are fluent in(a) Urdu, (b) Punjabi and (c) Welsh; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John M. TaylorThe table lists the number of judges in each of the offices shown in England and Wales as at 13 February 1995. Our records regarding judges' knowledge of languages are not comprehensive but show that 19 judges speak Welsh. None are recorded as speaking an Indian or Pakistani language but it is believed that a few do. Of those serving in a part-time capacity or in a full-time capacity not listed on the table, according to the limited information available, 55 speak Welsh and 16 speak an Indian or Pakistani language. Urdu and Punjabi are not separately identified in the records and the records do not indicate the degree of fluency.
Total number Lord Chancellor 1 Lords of Appeal in Ordinary 11 Heads of Division 4 Lords Justices of Appeal 30 High Court Judges 93 Circuit Judges 511 District Judges1 321 Stipendiary Magistrates 88 Masters2 29 1 Including District Judges of the Principal Registry of the Family Division. 2 Including Bankruptcy Registrars.