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24 July 2006 : Column 941W—continued
As of 31 March 2005 there were 28,300 magistrates of which 6.7 per cent. were from the Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds. As of 31 March 2006 the magistracy
increased to 28,865, of which the proportion of those from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds rose to 7.2 per cent.
Magistrates Courts
Chris Huhne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) how many magistrates courts have closed in each year since 1980, broken down into (a) rural and (b) non-rural areas; and if she will make a statement; [84745]
(2) how many magistrates courts have closed in each year since 1980 in (a) rural areas and (b) non-rural areas; and if she will make a statement. [84990]
Ms Harman: My Department does not hold information on the magistrates courthouse closures which occurred prior to 1995. The following table provides details of the magistrates court closures (broken down into (a) rural and (b) non-rural areas) which took place between 1995 and 2006. HM Courts Service is committed to improving the standard of facilities provided to court users and in delivering greater value for money by increasing courtroom utilization. This includes the modernization and building of new modern courthouses as well as the co-location of magistrates courts with county courts.
| Number of magistrates courts closed in each year since 1995( 1) | |||||||
| Rural 75 | Rural 50 | Significant rural | Other urban | Large urban | Major urban | Total number of courts closed | |
| (1) The rural constituency classification (introduced by the Rural Evidence Research Centre on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 2006) has been used to define whether court closures took place in rural/urban areas. The classification divides constituencies into the following six categories: Rural 75: Over 75 per cent. of the population live in rural settlements (including 207 large market towns) Rural 50: Over 50 per cent. of the population live in rural settlements (including 207 large market towns) Significant rural: More than 37,000 or between 26 per cent. and 50 per cent. of the population live in rural settlements. Other urban: Fewer than 37,000 or less than 26 per cent. of the population live in rural settlements; Large urban: A minimum of 50,000 or 50 per cent. of the population live in a large urban area; Major urban: A minimum of 100,000 or 50 per cent. of the population live in a major urban area (i.e. over 750,000 of the population). | |||||||
Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many magistrates courts there are in each London borough. [87714]
Ms Harman: The information is as follows.
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many magistrates courts in England and Wales closed in each year since 1979. [86746]
Ms Harman: My Department does not hold information on the magistrates courthouse closures which occurred prior to 1995. The following table provides details of the magistrates court closures which took place between 1995 and 2006. HM Courts Service is committed to improving the standard of facilities provided to court users and in delivering greater value for money by increasing courtroom utilization. This includes the modernization and building of new modern courthouses as well as the co-location of magistrates courts and county courts.
| Total number of courts closed | |
Outsourcing
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what administrative functions for which her Department is responsible are outsourced overseas; and what assessment she has made of the merits of outsourcing further such functions overseas. [81558]
Ms Harman: My Department has not outsourced any of its administrative functions overseas and has no plans to do so. No assessment has been made of the merits of off-shoring.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when she will answer question 67393, on legal aid, tabled by the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South for answer on 2 May 2006. [85275]
Vera Baird: I have today responded to the hon. Member’s question. It raised important legal considerations concerning the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and these took time to consider. I am sorry that it has taken so long.
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