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.

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.