Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Lord Chancellor's Departmemt – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 8 May 2001.
Jane Kennedy
Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department
12:00,
8 May 2001
I am conscious that the hon. Gentleman is seeking to help me, and I hope that the Prime Minister was listening.
The hon. Gentleman is right; the pre-eminent requirement is personal suitability for appointment to the job, and more than 30,000 people from all walks of life serve as lay magistrates.
