§ Mr. LuffTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he expects to reach a decision on the future of Evesham County Court. [52736]
§ Mr. HoonThe proposal to close Evesham County Court was put out to public consultation in May 1998. Consultation ended on 3 July 1998. All of the responses will now be considered by Court Service Officials before any decision is made on how this proposal is to proceed. If the decision is made to go ahead, the Group Manager will submit a business case (setting out all the points raised against closure and the reply made to them) to the Lord Chancellor for a final decision. It is therefore not possible at this stage to provide a timetable.