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Magistrates Courts
35. Mr. Soames: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has for the reorganisation of magistrates courts in West Sussex. [7536]
Mr. Hoon: I have no such plans.
38. Mr. Bill O'Brien: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on his Department's criteria relating to the merger of magistrates courts. [7540]
Mr. Hoon:
Magistrates courts are locally managed by magistrates courts committees under the provisions of the Justices of the Peace Act 1997. Decisions concerning the future and number of magistrates courts in their area for the relevant MCCs to determine. A local authority that contributes financially may appeal to the Lord Chancellor against a proposed closure. The procedure for such appeals is set out in section 56 of the Justices of the Peace Act 1997. Accordingly, as with any appellate authority, each case is dealt with on its merits.
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In the absence of an appeal, however, the Lord Chancellor plays no part in the process.
Mr. Burns:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the number of magistrates courts in the county of Essex. [7533]
Mr. Hoon:
There are 13 court houses and 13 petty sessional divisions in Essex. Decisions concerning the future and number of magistrates courts in the area are for the relevant magistrates courts committees to determine. Essex MCC has issued a consultation document to magistrates and to the paying authority to review the arrangement of petty sessional divisions in the county.
Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if the Essex magistrates courts committee will be permitted to specify when embarking on a PFI initiative the broad geographical location and number of court houses it requires from those providing the PFI initiative. [9876]
Mr. Hoon:
It is an important principle of the PFI process that potential providers are given as much freedom as is possible to develop their ideas on how best to meet the operational requirements of the magistrates courts committee. The MCC will be able to indicate the broad geographical areas in which court houses should be located, but as far as is possible should refrain from specifying the number of court houses to be provided.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 10 July, Official Report, column 535, on consumer protection rights, if he will list the members of the working group on rights and duties in respect of representative actions. [9703]
Mr. Hoon:
Invitations to join the working group have been sent out. Copies of the list of members of the working group will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses as soon as acceptances to invitations have been received and the membership of the group finalised.
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what are the names, qualifications and relevant experience of the members of the Civil Procedure Rules Committee. [8579]
Mr. Hoon:
The members of the Civil Procedure Rules Committee are:
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Their relevant experience and professional qualifications are as follows:
Mr. Leigh:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list those organisations which are funded by his Department to (a) promote marriage, (b) carry out marriage counselling, (c) provide mediation services and (d) carry out research into the
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causes of marital breakdown, giving the total funding in each case and indicating which projects are pilot projects under the Family Law Act 1996. [8786]
Mr. Hoon:
The tables show my Department's provision of core funding, pilot funding and research funding by way of grant in aid in the current financial year to marriage support and research organisations.
Lord Woolf, Master of the Rolls, chairman.
Sir Richard Scott, Vice-Chancellor
Mr. Justice Anthony May
Judge Richard Holman
District Judge Godfrey Gypps
Master Harman John Leslie
Henrietta Manners
David Foskett QC
Nicholas Chambers QC
Peter Howarth
Peter Watson
David Greene
Harriet Kimbell
Olivia Morrison-Lyons
Mr. Justice May
Appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court, Queen's Bench Division in 1991. Presently judge in charge of the Queen's Bench list.
Judge Holman
Circuit judge. Appointed as an Assistant Recorder in 1998 and to the Circuit bench in 1994.
District Judge Gypps
Appointed as a District Judge in 1991.
Master Leslie
Master of the Supreme Court, Queen's Bench Division since 1996.
Nicholas Chambers QC
Barrister, called 1966. Mr. Chambers took silk in 1985. He sits as a Recorder and as a deputy High Court judge. He has a general common law practice with a commercial emphasis.
David Foskett QC
Barrister, called in 1972. Mr. Foskett took silk in 1991. His professional experience lies in the common law and commercial field, primarily in the Supreme Court. He sits as a Recorder.
Henrietta Manners
Barrister with particular experience of practice in county courts. Called in 1981. She has been a member of the County Court Rule Committee since 1991.
David Greene
Solicitor, admitted in 1980. Mr. Greene is the senior litigation partner at Messrs Edwin Coe, Solicitors, Lincoln's Inn.
Peter Watson
Solicitor, admitted in 1981. Mr. Watson is a partner with Messrs. Allen and Overy, specialising in High Court commercial and administrative law litigation.
Peter Haworth
Solicitor with particular experience of practice in county courts. Admitted 1975. Mr. Haworth is a litigation partner with Messrs Southern Cooper, Solicitors, of Burnley Lancashire. He was a part-time chairman of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal from 1986 to 1992. He sits as a deputy district judge.
Olivia Morrison-Lyons
Ms Morrison-Lyons was a manager of Camden CAB from 1982-93. She was a member of the Citizens Advice Bureaux Management Committee for 10 years.
Harriet Kimbell MBE
Mrs. Kimbell is a non-practising solicitor. She has been a member of the Council of the Consumers Association since 1988 and is now Deputy Chairman. She was a non-executive director of Which? Ltd. from 1990 to 1993 and in 1994-95. She is a principal lecturer at the College of Law where she teaches consumer law.
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1. RELATE | 1,898,620.00 |
| 2. One Plus One | 167,000.00 |
| 3. Tavistock Marital Studies Institute (TMSI) | 375,435.00 |
| 4. Jewish Marriage Council | 16,912.60 |
| 5. Marriage Care | 263,770.00 |
| 6. Family Welfare Association | 23,458.25 |
| Name | Project | Grant £ |
|---|---|---|
| RELATE | Helpline | 58,250.00 |
| One Plus One | Marital support to couples with children | 55,570.00 |
| TMSI | Psychotherapy at GPs' surgeries | 10,550.00 |
| Marriage Care | Helpline, drop-in counselling, marriage preparation | 67,214.00 |
| Family Welfare Association | Marriage support for Asian communities, helpline | 72,550.00 |
| Marriage Resource | National Marriage Week 1998, media campaign | 126,900.00 |
| Marriage Resource (Glossop & District) | Marriage preparation | 11,228.00 |
| African Caribbean Family Mediation Service (Brixton) and London Marriage Guidance | Helpline, and drop-in counselling service | 89,190.00 |
| The Light House (Christian Care Ministry) | Marriage support | 29,580.00 |
| One Plus One | Research project--Review papers to provide resource base for policy development | 79,150.00 |
| All Souls College Oxford | Research project--Models of marriage | 42,751.00 |
| Total | 642,933 |
Mr. Leigh: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the proposed commencement dates of each section of the Family Law Act 1996; and if he will make a statement. [8787]
Mr. Hoon:
Sections 65 and 67 came into force on the passing of the Act.
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On 21 March 1997, the following provisions came into force:
There is not yet a proposed commencement date for the remainder of parts II, IV and V.
(a) part I (principles of Part II and III);
With the exception of section 60, part IV will commence on 1 October 1997.
(b) section 22 (marriage support services);
(c) part III (legal aid for mediation in family matters);
(d) section 66(1) (minor and consequential amendments) so far as it relates to part II of schedule 8; and
(e) section 66(3) (repeals) so far as it relates to the entry in schedule 10 in respect of the Legal Aid Act 1988(b).
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