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Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill

My Lords, when the noble and learned Baroness the Attorney-General responds, which I feel sure she will be doing in a few minutes, might she deal with the attitude of the Magistrates’ Association? In this clause, we are dealing with procedures in the magistrates’ courts. The magistrates deal with 95 per cent or more of all criminal cases tried each year, which is something like 2 million. Is it not the case that the Government, so far as this provision was concerned, got off to a thoroughly bad start with the Magistrates’ Association? The noble and learned Baroness the Attorney-General will know that the association said, in its briefing prepared for this House before Second Reading, that its priority was, "““for cases to be properly and efficiently presented to us in court””. " Did it not also say, "““We are strongly opposed to this proposal””?" Of course, that was before the adjustments made in the right direction by the Government. However, when the noble and learned Baroness responds, could she say whether the magistrates have been consulted specifically on whether they are content with the present clause—without the deficiencies being remedied, as they would be in the amendment from my noble friend—and what their position is?