Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to publish a white paper on reform of the magistracy; and if so, when.

The Government currently has no plans to publish a white paper on reform of the magistracy. We have yet to see the full impact of changes brought about by our rehabilitation reforms, the Transforming Summary Justice Programme and the new Single Justice Procedure. These are already changing the way that magistrates work. My Rt Hon Friend the Lord Chancellor gave a speech outlining this Government’s approach to criminal justice on 23 June. The content of that speech, “What does a one nation justice policy look like”, can be viewed online at https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/what-does-a-one-nation-justice-policy-look-like