To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many completed magistrate applications were received in the three months up to 31 March 2022 in each region.

We are currently unable to provide data on completed magistrates applications as this data is not yet publicly available, in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics.

Over £1 million has been invested in the recruitment of new and diverse magistrates, the Government’s top priority for the magistracy. In January a revised, streamlined recruitment process was introduced to ensure applying to magistracy is more inclusive and accessible but remains robust and challenging. This is supported by an inclusive marketing campaign targeting a wider, more diverse audience. As of 3 April 2022, 33,580 individuals had expressed an interest in joining the magistracy as a result of the national recruitment campaign.