§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will take steps to move the witness suite at Nottingham Crown Court from proximity to the main entrance used by defendants. [139279]
§ Mr. LeslieUsing funds made available from the Government's Street Crime Initiative, the Witness Suite on the Ground Floor was created in the summer of last year. The location of the suite was determined after consultation with the Witness Support Service and local Court Managers.
1064W
§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many magistrates were appointed in England and Wales in 2002; and how many were (i) black and (ii) Asian. [138767]
§ Mr. Leslie1,474 new magistrates were appointed in England and Wales in 2002. Of these 40 classified themselves as of Black origin and 66 Asian.
§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many(a) justices' clerks, (b) deputy clerks, (c) ushers and (d) administrative clerical and secretarial staff were in post in magistrates' courts in England and Wales in the last month for which figures are available; and how many were (i) black and (ii) Asian. [138768]
§ Mr. LeslieThe following table, using the current job titles, provides the information requested. The figures provided are drawn from the latest survey, which was conducted for magistrates' courts staff in post in England and Wales as at 31 March 2003.
The new Witness Suite has been well received by the Witness Support Service. The facilities are a significant improvement on those previously provided. There are no current plans to change further the provisions for witnesses at the Crown Court in Nottingham.