Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the recruitment of more magistrates to the bench.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
The recruitment of more magistrates is the Government’s top priority for the magistracy. The MoJ is investing £1 million this financial year into a programme of work to improve magistrates’ recruitment. A digitised and more inclusive recruitment process which will improve data collation was launched in January, alongside an inclusive marketing strategy which aims to targets a wider, more diverse audience, attract more applicants and recruit more from under-represented groups.
Additionally, we are legislating to increasing the judicial mandatory retirement age to 75. This will retain around 400 judges and 2,000 magistrates more annually, when compared to retaining the current age of 70.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many practising female judges there are in England and Wales.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
Statistics on the diversity of judicial office holders are published annually, alongside statistics on members of the legal professions and those applying for judicial appointments. The 2021 ‘Diversity of the Judiciary’ statistics (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/diversity-of-the-judiciary-2021-statistics) record that as at 1 April 2021, in England and Wales there were:
We recognise that more progress is required to achieve a gender-balanced judiciary. The Lord Chancellor is a member of the Judicial Diversity Forum (JDF) and works closely with the Lord Chief Justice, Chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) and other members of the JDF, including the three relevant legal professional bodies, to address barriers to achieving greater gender balance in the judiciary. In December 2021, JDF members published their updated action plan, which sets out actions to support greater diversity in the judiciary at every stage; from the legal profession to the judiciary itself.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to make Ministry of Defence cadet force adult volunteering a position of trust for the purposes of child sex offences.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
I recognise that there are concerns about those who might abuse their position of power over a 16 or 17-year-old to pressure them into engaging in a sexual relationship. Such behaviour is likely to be caught by the robust laws we already have in place.
We remain committed to protecting children and young people from sexual abuse and we want to ensure that existing offences are being used effectively to tackle this behaviour, and that those working with young people understand their responsibilities and act appropriately.
To that effect my department, working closely with colleagues across government, has taken forward a review of the existing law, to check that that it is working effectively and to ensure young people are protected. This review involved feedback from a wide range of stakeholders.
It is important that in any consideration for reform in this area we achieve the sensitive balance between the protection of young people and ensuring we do not infringe upon the sexual rights and freedoms of those over the age of 16 granted to them by Parliament.
This is a complex area and we are now considering the findings of the review and next steps.
We expect to be in a position to update Parliament on this work shortly.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which magistrates' courts have closed in Wales since 2010.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie
Since 2010, the following magistrates’ court closures have taken place:
Aberdare Magistrates’ Court (co-located with Aberdare County Court)
Abertillery Magistrates’ Court
Ammanford Magistrates’ Court
Barry Magistrates’ Court
Cardigan Magistrates’ Court
Chepstow Magistrates’ Court
Denbigh Magistrates’ Court
Flint Magistrates’ Court
Llandovery Magistrates’ Court
Llangefni Magistrates’ Court
Llwynypia Magistrates’ Court
Pwllheli Magistrates’ Court
Neath Magistrates’ Court
Abergavenny Magistrates’ Court
Caerphilly Magistrates’ Court
Brecon Law Courts
Bridgend Law Courts
Carmarthen Law Courts (The Guildhall)
Dolgellau Crown and Magistrates’ Court
Holyhead Magistrates’ Court
Pontypridd Magistrates’ Court
Prestatyn Magistrates’ Court [building remained open as Prestatyn Justice Centre, rehousing work from Rhyl]
The closure of any court is not taken lightly – it only happens following full public consultation. We have been clear that courts are only being closed where they are underused, dilapidated or too close to another.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many magistrates' courts there were in Wales in (1) 2010, and (2) 2018.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie
There were 36 magistrates’ courts in Wales 2010 and 14 magistrates’ courts in Wales in 2018. Magistrates’ court closures in Wales have taken place following public consultation and only when the Lord Chancellor was satisfied that effective access to justice could be maintained. We have closed poor quality, smaller and less efficient courts allowing for resources to be concentrated into a smaller number of better quality and more flexible buildings.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many magistrates there were in Wales in (1) 2010, and (2) 2018.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie
The number of magistrates in Wales in 2010 were 1,879 and in 2018 were 1,130. Published data can be found here https://www.judiciary.uk/publication-type/statistics/.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Magistrates' clerks were employed in Wales in 2010.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie
Justices’ clerks are the principal legal advisers to the magistrates. Each Magistrates’ Court sit with a legal adviser.
On 30 September 2016 there were 2 justices’ clerks employed in Wales.
On 30 November 2010 there were 5 justices’ clerks employed in Wales.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Magistrates' clerks there are currently serving courts in Wales.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie
Justices’ clerks are the principal legal advisers to the magistrates. Each Magistrates’ Court sit with a legal adviser.
On 30 September 2016 there were 2 justices’ clerks employed in Wales.
On 30 November 2010 there were 5 justices’ clerks employed in Wales.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Magistrates' Courts in Wales have been closed since, and including, 2010.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie
Since and including 2010, 21 magistrates’ courts have closed in Wales. The reduction in magistrates’ courts in Wales is due to underutilisation. Closing underused buildings allows us to reinvest in the justice system, improving access to justice and the experience for all court users.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Magistrates' Courts there are in Wales, and what are their locations.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie
There are 15 magistrates’ courts in Wales (as of November 2016).
Holyhead Magistrates’ Court |
Llandudno Magistrates Court |
Caernarfon Justice Centre (County and Magistrates’ Court combined) |
Mold Law Courts (Crown, County and Magistrates’ Combined) |
Wrexham Law Courts (County and Magistrates’ Court Combined) |
Welshpool Magistrates’ and Family Court |
Aberystwyth Justice Centre (County and Magistrates’ Court combined) |
Llandrindod Wells Magistrates’ and Family Court |
Merthyr Tydfil Law Courts (Crown, County and Magistrates’ Court Combined) |
Cwmbran Magistrates’ Court |
Newport Magistrates’ Court |
Cardiff Magistrates’ Court |
Swansea Magistrates’ Court |
Haverfordwest (County and Magistrates’ Court Combined) |
Llanelli Law Courts (County and Magistrates’ Combined) |