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LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Law Centres (North Yorkshire)
35. Mr. Grogan: To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the provision of law centres in North Yorkshire. [76340]
Mr. Hoon: There are currently no law centres in North Yorkshire. The Lord Chancellor's Department is not directly responsible for the provision of law centres. They are not-for-profit organisations established within communities in response to particular needs, and funded from a number of different sources. The Department has provided grant support to a small number of law centres since the 1970s.
Immigration Adjudicators
36. Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to ensure the effective use of immigration adjudicators' time while explanatory statements from the Home Office are delayed. [76341]
Mr. Hoon: The adjudicators plan to use this opportunity to reduce the number of outstanding cases, to undertake training and to assist the Immigration Appeal Tribunal.
Legal Aid
37. Dr. Whitehead:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what measures he is taking to ensure that the proposed reduction in approved legal aid practices does not result in geographical inequality of access to legal aid. [76344]
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Mr. Hoon:
We are intent on providing access to quality assured legal service providers for those who qualify for help from public funds. Over seven thousand firms have already applied to join the bid panel for the first round of contracts. We expect to let over five thousand for family work alone. Comprehensive coverage will be achieved by matching legal provision to community need. There will not be a shortage of providers and the needs of all geographical areas will be catered for.
38. Mr. Corbett:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps he is taking to encourage more women to apply for appointment as regional adjudicators to the immigration appellate authorities. [76345]
Mr. Hoon:
My right hon. and noble Friend the Lord Chancellor wishes to see more women appointed to all levels of the judiciary, including the Immigration Appellate Authority. His guiding principle remains that judicial appointments are made solely on merit. He has already announced a number of measures designed to encourage more applications from women practitioners, including more flexible arrangements for some part-time judicial sittings and the development of work-shadowing and mentoring schemes.
39. Mr. Fabricant:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will visit Lichfield to meet the Lichfield Magistrates Bench to discuss the dispensing of justice in Lichfield; and if he will make a statement. [76346]
Mr. Hoon:
I am always willing to consider any invitation to meet magistrates.
Magistrates courts are locally managed by magistrates courts committees under the provisions of the Justices of the Peace Act 1997. It is for each Magistrates Courts Committee to decide how best to deploy its resources in order to carry out its statutory responsibility to provide an efficient and effective service to court users. Decisions concerning the future and number of magistrates courts in their area are for the relevant MCC 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. In the absence of an appeal, however, the Lord Chancellor plays no part in the process.
40. Mr. Ian Bruce:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the average time taken from charging to conviction for juveniles in (a) April 1997 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available. [76347]
Mr. Hoon:
The exact information requested is not available. Information on delay in Crown Court proceedings is not available broken down between juvenile and adult defendants, and therefore this answer includes only information on magistrates' courts.
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| Year | Survey | Average number of days from charge to completion |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | February | 101 |
| 1997 | June | 93 |
| 1997 | October | 90 |
| 1998 | February | 91 |
| 1998 | June | 81 |
| 1998 | October | 80 |
Notes:
1. Excludes summonsed defendants.
2. Cases where offence to charge was over 10 years, or where charge to first listing or first listing to completion was over 1 year, are excluded from the analysis.
Source:
Lord Chancellor's Department Time Intervals Survey.
Public Appointments
41. Mr. Canavan: To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department for how many public appointments the Lord Chancellor is responsible; and how many such appointments he has made since he took office. [76348]
Mr. Hoon: The latest edition of the Cabinet Office publication, "Public Bodies", specifies that, as at 1 September 1998, there are 1,818 non-judicial positions in non-departmental public bodies for which the Lord Chancellor is responsible.
The Lord Chancellor has made 496 appointments to NDPBs since he came to office on 2 May 1997. This number does not include other appointments, such as judicial appointments; or appointments the Lord Chancellor may make to bodies for which other Ministers are responsible.
Dispute Resolution Arrangements
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to promote alternative dispute resolution; and if he will make a statement. [77872]
Mr. Hoon:
This Government's radical programme of reform to modernise the civil justice system will encourage the use of alternative dispute resolution in appropriate cases through the exercise of the courts' new case management powers, the reform of civil legal aid, and the development of the Community Legal Service.
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What further steps, if any, should be undertaken to promote alternative dispute resolution is a matter currently under consideration.
Dr. Whitehead:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what guidelines have been issued to magistrates in respect of appropriate sentences and fines for those committing environmental offences. [77674]
Mr. Hoon:
Guidelines for magistrates are in the form of judgments by the higher courts, or contained in the guidelines issued by the Magistrates Association. Local benches may also formulate guidelines for local use. I am not aware of any guidelines for magistrates on environmental offences other than those which have been issued in the Nottinghamshire Magistrates Courts Service.
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to review the retirement age of judges; and if he will make a statement. [77868]
Mr. Hoon:
The Lord Chancellor has no plans to review the retirement age of judges. The retirement age was changed by the Judicial Pensions and Retirement Act 1993, which came into force on 31 March 1995. This Act established a normal compulsory retirement age of 70 (except where a lower age is specified in the statutory conditions of tenure for a particular office) for all judicial office holders initially appointed on or after that date, subject to a power given to the Lord Chancellor to extend or re-extend service for a year at a time up to a limit of 75. Under the transitional provisions, judges appointed before 31 March 1995 retain their pre-existing retirement age.
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department how many (a) House of Lords judges, (b) Court of Appeal judges, (c) High Court judges, (d) circuit judges, (e) District judges and High Court masters and (f) stipendiary magistrates are presently serving; and of those, how many and what percentage in each case (i) are women, (ii) are from ethnic minorities, (iii) have Oxbridge degrees, (iv) had public school education and (v) were Queen's Counsel before appointment. [77866]
Mr. Hoon:
The available information is set out in the table.
(1) Details of ethnic origin are provided on a voluntary basis and have been collected only since October 1991.
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Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the average (i) age and (ii) length of professional experience on appointment of (a) High Court and (b) circuit judges currently serving. [77867]
Mr. Hoon:
There are currently 98 High Court judges. Their average age is 59 years and on appointment their average length of professional experience since they were called to the Bar or admitted as a solicitor was 28 years. There are currently 562 Circuit Judges. Their average age is 58 years and their average length of professional experience on appointment was 26 years.
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what formal training (a) House of Lords judges, (b) Court of Appeal judges, (c) High Court judges, (d) circuit judges, (e) district judges, (f) High Court masters and (g) part-time judges in categories (c) to (f) have in each case received on the new civil justice system to be introduced in April 1999. [77871]
Mr. Hoon:
Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial Studies Board (JSB), which is an independent non-departmental public body and is chaired by Lord Justice Henry.
The JSB held a series of residential seminars on the new civil justice procedures during January and February 1999 which were attended by nearly all full-time judges exercising civil jurisdiction. Those attending comprised 29 Court of Appeal judges, 83 High Court judges, 352 circuit judges, 387 district judges and 20 High Court masters and registrars. A separate seminar was held on 15 March for judges of the technology and construction court.
The JSB will hold a series of 22 one day seminars in April, May and June 1999 on the new civil justice procedures which will be attended by all 1,400 part-time judges exercising civil jurisdiction, and by those few full-time judges who were unable to attend the residential seminars.
The JSB has not given training to House of Lords judges.
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what arrangements are in place to monitor judicial competence and performance; what plans he has to review these arrangements; and if he will make a statement. [77869]
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Mr. Hoon:
The Lord Chancellor believes that any such arrangements must strike an appropriate balance between the obligations of the judiciary to the public and the overriding constitutional principle of judicial independence which means that judges must be able to determine each case fairly and on its merits, without fear of improper intervention. Almost all judicial decisions are subject to appeal or review enabling higher courts to comment on or redress judicial decisions or conduct. The work of part-time judges provides opportunities for their performance and, therefore, their suitability for appointment to full-time office to be assessed. The Lord Chancellor has decided to review the scope for refining and improving the arrangements for the appraisal of part-time judicial office holders, and in that context has endorsed a pilot scheme involving more structured arrangements for the performance appraisal of deputy District Judges which he hopes to extend in due course.
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what arrangements are in place to provide continuing education for judges; what plans he has to review those arrangements; and if he will make a statement. [77870]
Mr. Hoon:
Judicial education is the responsibility of the Judicial Studies Board (JSB), which is an independent non-departmental public body and is chaired by Lord Justice Henry.
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