Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Magistrates: Mandatory Retirement Age

Tuesday 3 November 2020 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister of Justice consulted on raising the mandatory retirement age for magistrates.
  • Over 1,000 responses were received for the consultation which closed on 16 October.
  • The justice system is losing about 1,000 magistrates annually as they reach age 70.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Edward Timpson Con
Justice & Courts
Context

The question arises from a consultation by the Ministry of Justice on increasing the retirement age for judges and magistrates, which closed on October 16th.

Question

What plans does he have to raise the mandatory retirement age for magistrates?

Answer from Chris Philp

The Ministry of Justice has been running a consultation on increasing the retirement age for judges and magistrates. The consultation closed on 16 October. Over 1,000 responses were received and we will respond formally very shortly.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific plans or intentions regarding raising the mandatory retirement age are not detailed.

How: Under Review

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Q2 Edward Timpson Con
Justice & Courts
Context

The question stems from a private Member's Bill by the MP to raise the retirement age of magistrates to 75, which has faced delays. The consultation on this matter closed over two weeks ago.

Question

Given that his own consultation on raising the retirement age for magistrates closed over two weeks ago, can he give some hope that legislation will be introduced at the earliest opportunity through my Bill or other means?

Answer from Chris Philp

My hon. Friend is quite right; we are losing something like 1,000 magistrates a year as they turn 70, often very experienced magistrates who still have a great deal to offer the justice system. The consultation had two options: raising the age to 72 or to 75. I strongly commend my hon. Friend for his patience, persistence and perseverance in trying to get his private Member's Bill through, often in the face of somewhat unfortunate headwinds, on private Members' Bill Fridays. This is an urgent issue. As soon as we have formulated a response to the consultation, we will certainly be looking to legislate via whatever vehicle is available as quickly as we possibly can.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific timeline or legislative vehicle for raising the retirement age is not provided.

How: Under Review

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