HC Deb 10 July 2002 vol 388 cc1026-7W
Mr. Lidington

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary. Lord Chancellor's Department what criteria she is using to determine the best location for a new Crown court in Buckinghamshire. [68504]

Yvette Cooper

The Lord Chancellor's Department will consider a variety of factors including the following: population densities (current and projected), quality and range of existing transport links including public services, travel distances for court users, accessibility to court users including the disabled, availability of suitable accommodation, location of other justice agencies, security, cost, existing services and facilities.

Mr. Lidington

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what degree of importance he is giving to accessibility in deciding the location of a new Crown Court in Buckinghamshire. [68502]

Yvette Cooper

The Lord Chancellor's Department places a very high level of importance on the accessibility of any potential new courts. Consideration is given to a number of factors including public transport, road and rail links, parking and access for the disabled.

Mr. Lidington

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the accessibility of a new Crown Court in(a) Milton Keynes and (b) Aylesbury to people living in Buckinghamshire. [68503]

Yvette Cooper

To date, no detailed assessment has been undertaken on the accessibility of a potential new Crown Court for Buckinghamshire. Plans are at the preliminary stage and the Court Service is still considering all of the various options available, taking into account the outcome from the current Spending Review.