Clause 10 - Appointment of lay justices etc.
Courts Bill [Lords]
9:45 am
Mrs Angela Watkinson (Upminster, Conservative)
I wonder whether I could press the Minister on the eligibility of those who are trained. The high cost of training magistrates must be borne in mind, and there needs to be an assurance that a significant number of years of service could be had from a trained magistrate to justify the cost of that training. However, I have heard of cases where older people have been refused on the ground of age, and it
would be a pity if their experience and wisdom, which come with age, were lost to the magistracy.