101 local advisory committees recruit and select magistrates in England and Wales. Recruitment funding is provided on the basis of local need and the committees are encouraged to target recruitment at under-represented groups in their areas. The Ministry of Justice also funds the Magistrates’ Shadowing Scheme, run by Operation Black Vote, which aims to promote ethnic diversity among Magistrates. The following amounts have been spent on recruitment funding and the Shadowing Scheme in each of the last three financial years:
2006-07 Recruitment: £89,945 Shadowing Scheme £90,000
2007-08 Recruitment: £214,738 Shadowing Scheme £70,000
2008-09 Recruitment: £187,677 Shadowing Scheme £70,000