HC Deb 24 April 2001 vol 367 c252W
Mr. Cox

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many disabled people serve as justices of the peace in courts covering the Greater London area; and if she will make a statement. [158516]

Jane Kennedy

No figures are currently available on the number of people with a disability who serve as justices of the peace. However, following an equality audit of the procedures and practices surrounding the appointment of lay magistrates last year, my noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor plans to conduct a survey of existing magistrates later this year to find out how many classify themselves as having a disability.