HC Deb 15 March 2001 vol 364 cc703-4W
Mr. Garnier

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his oral statement in Westminster Hall of 8 March 2001,Official Report, columns 169–70WH, if he will list the county court hearing centres which he plans to close in response to his Departmental Consultation Paper on court modernisation; and when they are to be closed. [153585]

Mr. Lock

At present there are no plans to close particular county court hearing centres as a result of my Departmental Consultation Paper on "Modernising the Civil Courts".

A key theme of "Modernising the Civil Courts" is to make best use of our resources to improve access to justice. As the consultation paper notes, we have a responsibility to ask whether the current court estate offers the best way of providing the services that we have a duty to provide, or whether there are more cost-effective alternatives that maintain, or improve, the level of service required. To that end we are developing a strategy for achieving best value from our estate which will include identifying the most appropriate locations for hearing centres. Part of the exercise will involve looking at opportunities to develop partnerships with other agencies, including the magistrates courts, so that hearings and other services can be provided in areas where there is no permanent county court building.