§ Mr. David TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the role of lay magistrates in reducing average time delays for dealing with persistent young offenders. [157565]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeWe welcome the valuable contribution that lay magistrates are making to reducing the time from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders. The overall average has been cut from 142 days in 1996 to 89 days by January this year; and cases sentenced in the magistrates courts averaged 82 days. This represents significant progress thanks to the commitment, hard work and co-operation of all the agencies involved in youth justice.