Magistrates Courts: Closures

Justice

Written answers and statements, 5 November 2009

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Photo of Dominic Grieve

Dominic Grieve (Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, Justice; Beaconsfield, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2009, Official Report, column 1373W, on magistrates' courts: closures, how many magistrates' courts there were in each type of area in each year since 1997.

Photo of Jack Straw

Jack Straw (Lord Chancellor, Ministry of Justice; Blackburn, Labour)

Up until 1 April 2005, magistrates courts were the responsibility of locally managed magistrates courts committees who were statutorily independent. My Department does not hold information on the number of magistrates courts prior to 2005, as they were not required by statute to inform the Department of closures that were not subject to an appeal under section 56(3) of the Justices of the Peace Act 1997 (now repealed).

Research suggests that there were in the region of 650 magistrates courts in the late 1970s. Between 1979 and 1997 an estimated 171 magistrates courts were closed: from 1997, an estimated 125 magistrates courts have been closed. Estimates of the number of magistrates courts in operation since 1997 are included in the following table:

Number
1997 479
1998 458
1999 433
2000 426
2001 413
2002 383
2003 376
2004 363
2005 361
2006 361
2007 360
2008 358
2009 to date 355

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