Magistrates: Recruitment

(asked on 14th December 2020) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps are taken to ascertain the socio-economic background of new magistrates; and if he will publish the data on that measure.


Answered by
Alex Chalk Portrait
Alex Chalk
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
This question was answered on 22nd December 2020

Members of the Recruitment and Attraction Steering Group (who are involved in the working groups) are magistrates and lay members of Advisory Committees in each region who were appointed following an Expression of Interest exercise. Diversity data for the Steering Group Members is not separately collated. Other working group members are comprised of officials from MoJ, HMCTS and Judicial Office and we do not separately collate their diversity data for this specific role.

The Judicial Office collate the diversity data of magistrates. Currently, diversity data of applicants to the magistracy is not collated as it is not mandatory for prospective applicants to provide this information. The Magistrates Recruitment and Attraction programme is developing a new recruitment system that will capture diversity data of applicants throughout the application process. The diversity data of appointed magistrates are published in the Judicial Diversity Statistics.

Leadership roles within the magistracy, including those within the Magistrates’ Leadership Executive, are undertaken by appointed magistrates. Leadership roles are openly advertised to all magistrates and filled through either an Expression of Interest exercise or following local selection processes. Diversity data of those who hold leadership roles is not separately collated.

The Judicial Office does not collate socio-economic data of new magistrates. The Judicial Diversity Statistics sets out data on magistrates’ ethnicity, age and gender. By March 2021, the aim is for all Judicial office holders to be encouraged to self-classify against a wider range of diversity characteristics including a means of defining a socio-economic background.

The Judicial Diversity Statistics are published annually and are available through this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/diversity-of-the-judiciary-2020-statistics

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