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Magistrates: Recruitment

Asked by Nick TimothyConservativeMinistry of JusticeTabled Answered 24 June 2026UIN 10283

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's press release entitled "Faster and fairer justice for victims thanks to major magistrate recruitment drive", published on 16 April 2026, (a) how many times the national taskforce to oversee local magistrate recruitment committees has met and (b) who sits on the taskforce.

Answered by Sarah Sackman

The National Magistrates Recruitment Taskforce launched in April 2026. It is a team made up of HMCTS and Judicial Office administrative staff, set up to provide additional resource and national coordination support to the independent Recruitment Advisory Committees that recruit magistrates. Work is undertaken on a continuous basis by staff from across HMCTS and Judicial Office.

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