To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will list for each magistrates bench where his Department is responsible for appointments (a) the political balance of the bench and (b) the voting pattern for the area. [121100]
Information at bench level is not readily available. However, the table sets out the breakdown of magistrates political affiliations by commission area as at 1 April 2003. My officials do not maintain a central list of the corresponding voting patterns, which could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.
Political affiliation
| |||||||
Commission area
| Total
| Conservative
| Labour
| Liberal Democrat
| Plaid Cymru
| Other
| Uncommitted
|
Northamptonshire | 344 | 169 | 77 | 53 | 0 | 4 | 41 |
Northumberland | 189 | 65 | 41 | 28 | 1 | 3 | 51 |
North Wales | 387 | 129 | 101 | 66 | 46 | 22 | 23 |
Nottinghamshire | 652 | 229 | 181 | 69 | 0 | 8 | 165 |
Powys | 83 | 26 | 11 | 16 | 3 | 12 | 15 |
South East London | 413 | 147 | 101 | 58 | 0 | 13 | 94 |
South Wales | 557 | 117 | 170 | 71 | 19 | 24 | 156 |
South-west London | 369 | 158 | 74 | 74 | 0 | 28 | 35 |
South Yorkshire | 728 | 191 | 242 | 106 | 0 | 25 | 164 |
Staffordshire | 563 | 199 | 179 | 47 | 0 | 46 | 92 |
Suffolk | 289 | 91 | 52 | 44 | 1 | 11 | 90 |
Surrey | 364 | 152 | 63 | 37 | 0 | 41 | 71 |
Thames Valley | 1,046 | 380 | 200 | 140 | 0 | 42 | 284 |
Tyne and Wear | 793 | 204 | 280 | 102 | 0 | 50 | 157 |
Warwickshire | 216 | 76 | 53 | 39 | 0 | 18 | 30 |
West Glamorgan | 251 | 69 | 103 | 30 | 11 | 1 | 37 |
West Mercia | 657 | 270 | 156 | 107 | 0 | 40 | 84 |
West Midlands | 1,697 | 571 | 554 | 169 | 0 | 109 | 294 |
West Sussex | 356 | 119 | 80 | 57 | 0 | 18 | 82 |
West Yorkshire | 1,252 | 363 | 424 | 154 | 0 | 41 | 270 |
Wiltshire | 269 | 110 | 47 | 46 | 0 | 29 | 37 |
Totals | 24,419 | 8,395 | 6,221 | 3,199 | 131 | 1,500 | 4973 |
Percentage | 100 | 34.4 | 25.5 | 13.1 | 0.5 | 6.1 | 4973 |