HC Deb 14 February 2000 vol 344 cc455-6W
Mr. Kidney

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many(a) magistrates and (b) judges in England and Wales are freemasons. [109439]

Mr. Lock

The latest provisional figures available for full-time and part-time judges and judicial office-holders and lay magistrates are given in the following table. These figures are subject to revision in the light of further analysis and changes in the composition of the judiciary.

Professional Judiciary1 Lay Magistracy2
Masons 268 1,207
Non-masons 4,894 20,308
Not disclosed 75 597
Not replied/not recorded 470 2,852
Total 5,707 324,964
1 Position for post-holders as at 30 September 1999. These figures include both responses to the voluntary questionnaire sent to serving office-holders in July 1998 and information provided on initial appointment.
2 Position for post-holders as at 1 October 1998. These figures relate to the voluntary questionnaire.
3 Excludes Justices of the Peace in the Duchy of Lancaster.