| Home Page |
Column 713
Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 20 January 1994
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Magistrates Courts
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of savings that have been made in the management of magistrates' courts since the publication of the scrutiny report on Magistrates' Courts in 1989.
Mr. John M. Taylor : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 December 1993, Official Report, column 543.
Mr. Llew Smith To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what savings on expenditure on the magistrates court service will result from the decisions announced in the White Paper "A New Framework for Local Justice".
Column 714
Mr. John M. Taylor : The purpose of the proposals in the White Paper is to provide clearer lines of accountability, to secure maximum management co-operation with other parts of the justice system and to guarantee the judicial independence of magistrates and their legal advisers, as well as to yield improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of the service. As the efficiency gains which each magistrates' courts committee--MCC-- achieves by implementing the White Paper reforms will depend largely on decisions taken at local level, it is difficult for the Government to estimate with any accuracy the total savings to be made. However, evidence from those MCCs which have already implemented some of the White Paper proposals suggests that, within each MCC, the resulting improvements in value for money exceed the transitional costs.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the political balance of magistrates in each county in Wales.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The political balance of magistrates for each county in Wales on the latest available information, and based on their political affiliations on appointment, is as follows :
Column 713