§ Baroness Goudieasked Her Majesty's Government:
When Section 78 of the Access to Justice Act 1999, concerning the unification of the stipendiary bench in England and Wales, will come into force. [HL3569]
§ The Lord ChancellorSection 78 of the Access to Justice Act 1999 will come into force on 31 August 2000.
Section 78 of the Access to Justice Act 1999 contains certain provisions relating to the Stipendiary Magistrates' Bench; namely the amalgamation of the Metropolitan and Provincial Benches to form one national jurisdiction throughout England and Wales, and a change of title from Stipendiary Magistrate to District Judge (Magistrates' Courts).
The unification of the bench will mean that it will have a single judicial head, the Senior District Judge (Chief Magistrate), who will be responsible for the administration of the bench. The Senior District Judge (Chief Magistrate) will be supported by a Deputy Senior District Judge (Magistrates' Courts).
Acting Stipendiary Magistrates will be known as Deputy District Judge (Magistrates' Courts).
These changes are part of the Access to Justice Act reforms to improve the efficiency of Magistrates' Courts. The newly unified bench will allow greater flexibility in the allocation of judges to hear cases and respond to fluctuations in workloads.
District Judges (Magistrates' Courts) will continue to complement and work alongside the 30,000 lay magistrates, providing an efficient partnership in delivering the criminal justice process.
I am very pleased to announce these measures, as I believe that they will recognise the professional standing of the Stipendiary Magistracy and the importance of the work undertaken by the Magistrates' Courts as a whole.