asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list by county the number of magistrates' courts in England 10 years ago, five years ago and today; and how many it is planned that there should be in each county after the current amalgamation and closure programme is complete. [HL1177]
The table below shows the number of courthouses in each current Magistrates' Courts Committee area in England and Wales, as reported by the MCCs in surveys conducted by my department in 1995 and 1999. Information prior to 1995 is not available. The current amalgamation programme will reduce the number of MCCs to 42 in 2001. There is no national courthouse closure programme, since the number and location of courthouses within MCC areas remain decisions for each MCC, after consultation locally. I have no role to play in the closure of magistrates' courts, unless there is an appeal against proposed closure.
Number of Magistrates' Courthourses by MCC Area | ||
Magistrates' Courts Committee area, as at 1/4/99 | Courthouses open as at 30/9/95 | Courthouses open as at 31/3/99 |
Avon | 5 | 5 |
Barking and Dagenham | 2 | 2 |
Barnet | 2 | 2 |
Barnsley | 1 | 1 |
Bedfordshire | 6 | 6 |
Bexley | 1 | 1 |
Brent | 1 | 1 |
Bromley | 1 | 1 |
Calderdale | 1 | 1 |
Cambridgeshire | 6 | 6 |
Cheshire | 10 | 9 |
City of London | 1 | 1 |
Cleveland | 3 | 3 |
Croydon | 1 | 1 |
Cumbria | 10 | 6 |
Derbyshire | 13 | 13 |
Devon & Cornwall | 25 | 25 |
Doncastcr | 2 | 1 |
Dorset | 11 | 10 |
Durham | 9 | 7 |
Dyfed | 10 | 9 |
Ealing | 2 | 2 |
East Sussex | 4 | 4 |
Enfield | 1 | 1 |
Essex | 14 | 10 |
Gateshead | 2 | 2 |
Gloucestershire | 9 | 8 |
Gwent | 13 | 9 |
Hampshire | 10 | 10 |
Haringey | 2 | 2 |
Harrow | 1 | 1 |
Havering | 1 | 1 |
Hereford & Worcester | 9 | 7 |
Hertfordshire | 9 | 6 |
Hillingdon | 1 | 1 |
Hounslow | 2 | 1 |
Humberside | 13 | 10 |
Inner London | 20 | 15 |
Number of Magistrates' Courthourses by MCC Area
| ||
Magistrates' Courts Committee area, as at 1/4/99
| Courthouses open as at 30/9/95
| Courthouses open as at 31/3/99
|
Isle of Wight | 1 | 1 |
Kent | 15 | 12 |
Kingston upon Thames | 1 | 1 |
Lancashire | 13 | 12 |
Leeds | 5 | 2 |
Leicestershire | 8 | 7 |
Lincolnshire | 14 | 13 |
Manchester | 1 | 1 |
Merseyside | 9 | 9 |
Merton | 1 | 1 |
Newcastle Upon Tyne | 2 | 2 |
Newham | 1 | 1 |
Norfolk | 10 | 7 |
North & West Manchester | 7 | 7 |
North Tyneside | 1 | 1 |
North Wales | 19 | 13 |
North Yorkshire | 17 | 9 |
Northamptonshire | 6 | 6 |
Northumberland | 4 | 4 |
Nottinghamshire | 6 | 3 |
Oldham | 1 | 1 |
Powys | 6 | 6 |
Redbridge | 1 | 1 |
Richmond upon Thames | 1 | 1 |
Rotherham | 1 | 1 |
Sheffield | 1 | 1 |
Shropshire | 7 | 7 |
Somerset | 6 | 6 |
South Tyneside | 2 | 1 |
South Wales | 8 | 8 |
Staffordshire | 13 | 10 |
Stockport | 1 | 1 |
Suffolk | 10 | 5 |
Sunderland | 3 | 2 |
Surrey | 10 | 7 |
Sutton | 1 | 1 |
Tameside | 2 | 1 |
Thames Valley | 21 | 18 |
Trafford | 1 | 1 |
Waltham Forest | 1 | 1 |
Warwickshire | 5 | 5 |
West Glamorgan | 5 | 4 |
West Midlands | 14 | 14 |
West Riding | 8 | 8 |
West Sussex | 6 | 6 |
Wiltshire | 6 | 5 |
Totals | 516 | 436 |
asked Her Majesty's Government:What criteria should determine the number of magistrates' courts in English counties. [HL1178]
There are no specific criteria.Under the Justice of the Peace Act 1997, Magistrates' Courts Committees are responsible for the provision of an effective service to court users. It is for each committee to determine its own criteria for the number and location of magistrates' courts in its area.The Government do encourage each committee to take account of new legislation and administrative initiatives.