Written question asked by Sion Simon (Labour) on Wednesday, 4 June 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 10 June 2008. It was answered by Maria Eagle (Labour) on Tuesday, 10 June 2008 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Single Judge Model

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what reports he has received on the operation of the single judge model at the North Liverpool Community Justice Centre.

Answer: The qualitative evaluation of the North Liverpool Community Justice Centre published in October 2007 found strong judicial case management has improved efficient court operation.In addition to the project at North Liverpool, and the Community Justice Initiative at Salford, community justice has now been extended to eleven further areas around the country. The problem solving approach with judicial continuity in case handling has great potential to tackle the causes of crime and reduce re-offending by those subject to its rigours.

Secondary information