§ Dr. FrancisTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the national strategy on the recruitment of lay justices to achieve benches that reflect the community they serve will be published. [78690]
§ Yvette CooperAs of 1 April 2002 there were 28,479 active magistrates in England and Wales. A great deal of work has been carried out over the last few years to improve the balance of the lay bench. The latest available figures show 50.91 per cent. male and 49.09 per cent. female magistrates, 8.29 per cent. of whom are from ethnic minority groups. In the next few months, my noble and learned friend the Lord Chancellor, will publish a national recruitment strategy, the core aims of which are to develop a structured campaign to raise the profile of the magistracy and encourage applicants from as wide a cross-section of the community as possible.