§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps he is taking to increase the number of magistrates from the Nottingham, North constituency. [140615]
§ Mr. LeslieRecruitment of magistrates is co-ordinated locally by the Lord Chancellors' Advisory Committees on Justices of the Peace. My local Advisory Committee has not reported to me any particular problems recruiting magistrates in the Nottingham area. The Advisory Committee has, however, used a number of new initiatives to attract candidates from different backgrounds including news sheets in local magazines and information on their website. BBC Nottingham also broadcast a television item on the magistracy. During next year's recruitment round we will be adding to those initiatives with a local bus advertising campaign backed up by supporting material in local media sources.