§ Vera BairdTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how the personnel who adjudicate in the small claims court are selected for(a) the job and (b) particular types of case. [134295]
§ Mr. LeslieSmall claims are heard in county courts by District Judges and deputy District Judges who are appointed by the Lord Chancellor. Any District Judge, or deputy, can deal with small claims cases. The listing
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§ Mr. LeslieMagistrates' Courts Committees (MCCs) have a responsibility for the collection of a range of debts imposed by both the magistrates' courts and the Crown Court. Debt collected includes not only fines but also fees, compensation, confiscation orders, legal aid contributions and some maintenance orders. It is not yet possible to separate out only fines from the total so the figures provided in the table include all the elements above. Data are collected centrally at a MCC level, rather than at court level.
officer in each court is responsible, under the superintendence of the judges, on a day-to-day basis for allocating cases to individual judges.