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4 Dec 2007 : Column 1178W—continued
Justice
Bailiffs
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he has received on the conduct of the bailiffs, Phillips Ltd.; and if he will make a statement. [169810]
Maria Eagle: I have received two pieces of correspondence about the bailiff company Phillips. The first from my right hon. Friend the Member for Walsall, South (Mr. George) which was seeking clarification of their role in enforcing court imposed fines, the second from the hon. Member for Ludlow (Mr. Dunne), in connection with an incorrectly addressed letter sent by Phillips.
Phillips is contracted by Her Majesty’s Courts Service (HMCS) in the Midlands and North East Regions, to execute distress and financial arrest warrants and clamping orders on behalf of HMCS, where the defendant has failed to respond to communications and attempts from the court to enforce the fine.
My hon. Friend may be aware of an article in the Civil Enforcement News magazine which raised the concerns of Washington Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) about the conduct of Phillips when enforcing fines. Officials from HMCS have recently met with the Washington CAB to explain the enforcement process carried out by HMCS and the role of Phillips once a distress warrant has been issued to them. A joint meeting between HMCS, CAB and Phillips is due to take place in early January 2008.
Cemeteries
Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which local authorities cover the cost of reinstatement of gravestones after they are deemed to be unsafe through topple testing. [170636]
Bridget Prentice: Responsibility for the maintenance of gravestones lies with their owners, or as otherwise agreed with the local authority. However, I understand that a number of local authorities have decided, at their discretion, to incur the cost of making the gravestones safe.
Courts
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many Crown courts there are; where each is located; and how many judges are attached to each court. [170098]
Maria Eagle: The Crown court is a single court, which currently sits at 91 locations (listed in table A). Under the provisions of section 8 of the Supreme Court Act 1981 all High Court judges, Circuit judges, Recorders, and District judges (magistrates courts) are judges of the Crown court, as are magistrates sitting in the Crown court on appeal from magistrates courts.
Under section 9 of the Supreme Court Act 1981 the Lord Chief Justice can also ask Lords Justices, retired Lords Justices, and retired High Court judges to sit as judges of the Crown court. All judges of the Crown court have the full jurisdiction of the court. Judicial resources are allocated according to the number and types of cases to be heard. The number of judges attached to each court is not held centrally and could be obtained only by contacting each court. The total number of judges is shown in table B.
| Table A | |
| Courthouse name | Address |
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