To ask the Attorney-General what is the annual cost to the Exchequer of all the county courts.

The cost for the financial year 1988–89 was £134·3 million. This cost includes judicial salaries and fees, central overheads and superannuation costs.

To ask the Attorney-General how many cases were dealt with in the county court of all subject headings for the years 1980 to 1989 inclusive.

Figures on the number of cases dealt with in different categories within the county courts for the years 1980 to 1988 are to be found in the Lord Chancellor's Department's annual publication "Judicial Statistics". Figures for 1989 are not yet available.