Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the challenges that prevent people in (a) full-time employment, (b) self-employment and (c) caring responsibilities from applying to become magistrates; and what steps he is taking to tackle this issue.

The Government wants people from all walks of life to be able to consider becoming magistrates, including those in full-time employment, the self-employed and people with caring responsibilities. Our engagement with employers is informing work to address barriers including time commitment, financial considerations and understanding of the role, alongside guidance to help employers support staff who wish to serve. Magistrates can also claim reasonable expenses associated with carrying out their judicial duties and we will shortly be consulting on the expenses framework to help meet magistrates’ evolving needs and support recruitment and retention.