Written question asked by Vera Baird (Labour) on Tuesday, 29 January 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 12 February 2002. It was answered by Lord Wills (Labour) on Tuesday, 12 February 2002 on behalf of the Lord Chancellor's Department.

Lord Chancellors Dept

Question: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, What steps he is taking to encourage employers to give working magistates sufficient time off work to fulfil their bench duties. (Failed OPQ)

Answer: Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps he is taking to encourage employers to give working magistrates sufficient time off work to fulfil their Bench duties. [32374] Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on initiatives to encourage more people on low incomes to become JPs. [32368] Caroline Flint: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what initiatives are being taken to broaden the social mix of magistrates. [32375] Mr. Wills: My noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor is committed to producing a national strategy for recruitment. His local advisory committees undertake a range of recruitment initiatives and these have delivered a Bench that has equal numbers of men and women and increasingly reflects the ethnic composition of the population. We need to do more to improve the social composition. The national strategy will be our means of delivering this aim. It will be published in the spring.

Secondary information