To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) magistrates and (b) vacancies for magistrates there are; how many magistrates resigned or retired in each of the last five years; how many new magistrates were appointed in each of those years; and what the (a) gender and (b) ethnicity breakdown is of those appointed.

The Ministry of Justice publishes statistics on judicial diversity in England and Wales (Judicial Diversity Statistics – GOV.UK) annually, beginning in 2020. These statistics include a gender and ethnicity breakdown of appointed magistrates, as well as the number of magistrate leavers. Annual judicial statistics prior to 2020 were published by the Judiciary (Statistics and Reports - Courts and Tribunals Judiciary). These statistics include a gender and ethnicity breakdown of magistrates that were in post. Prior to 2020, data on new appointments and magistrates leavers was not collected.

As of April 2022, there were 12,506 magistrates in England and Wales. The Government has invested over £1 million to support the recruitment of new and diverse magistrates, the Government’s top priority for the magistracy. The ambition is to recruit a further 4,000 magistrates, over the next few years.