Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the diversity of the lay magistracy.

A more diverse judiciary is important in retaining the public's confidence and trust in justice, and better reflecting the society it serves. The diversity figures for the volunteer magistracy in England and Wales are generally encouraging. At 1 April 2014, women made up just over a half of the magistracy and just under ten percent of magistrates were from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds (compared with fourteen percent of the UK population, as reported by the 2011 Census). In addition to local advisory committees' efforts to target recruitment at under-represented parts of the community, the Magistrates' Association's “Magistrates in the Community” project does much to heighten awareness of the role of magistrate, encouraging young people to consider putting themselves forward for this important civic role. We are currently considering additional ways to promote a more diverse magistracy.