§ 37. Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department pursuant to his answer of 7 July 1999,Official Report, column 556, on police authority and magistrates court committee chairmen, if he will take steps to avoid the appointment of the same individual to both chairmanships where the areas of operation are approximately the same; and if he will make a statement. [91635]
§ Mr. VazThe chairman of a police authority and a magistrates court committee are both appointed by the members of their respective bodies. Neither the Home Secretary nor the Lord Chancellor, has any involvement in these appointments. The Lord Chancellor has however taken powers in the Access to Justice Bill for the preparation of a code of conduct to be observed by magistrates courts committee members and the panels that select them.