§ 39. Vera BairdTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps he is taking to encourage employers to give working magistrates sufficient time off work to fulfil their Bench duties. [32374]
§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on initiatives to encourage more people on low incomes to become JPs. [32368]
§ Caroline FlintTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what initiatives are being taken to broaden the social mix of magistrates. [32375]
§ Mr. WillsMy noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor is committed to producing a national strategy for recruitment. His local advisory committees undertake a range of recruitment initiatives and these have delivered a Bench that has equal numbers of men and women and increasingly reflects the ethnic composition of the population. We need to do more to improve the social composition. The national strategy will be our means of delivering this aim. It will be published in the spring.