Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Magistrate Numbers 2026-06-30

Tuesday 30 June 2026 · 5 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The number of magistrates will increase to 21,000 by 2029, a 50% rise from current levels.
  • A national taskforce is fast-tracking the recruitment process and halving recruitment times.
  • The government is funding the recruitment of 100 new trainee legal advisers each year for the next three years.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Warinder Juss Lab Wolverhampton West
Justice & Courts
Context

The question follows concerns about increasing court cases and a need for more magistrates to handle the load. Previous attempts at increasing the number of magistrates have not been successful.

Question

What steps are being taken to increase the number of magistrates? Although supporting government reform, concerns exist that recruitment targets may be missed given past failures. What specific actions and contingency plans will ensure success this time?

Answer from David Lammy

We are increasing the number of magistrates to 21,000 by 2029, a 50% rise from current levels. A national taskforce fast-tracks the process and halves recruitment times. We will publish an update on numbers on 9 July.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions for retention and contingency plans if target is missed

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Q2 Warinder Juss Lab Wolverhampton West
Justice & Courts
Context

The question addresses concerns about attracting young and working-age individuals to the challenging volunteer role of magistrates, especially given potential impacts on their paid employment.

Question

What steps will be taken to attract more young people and those in full-time roles to become magistrates? What measures are in place for expenses reform to support this?

Answer from David Lammy

The reform of expenses is important. More self-employed people have come forward, showing good progress in diversity across the country.

Not addressed: Specific measures to attract younger individuals and full-time employees

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Q3 Joshua Reynolds Lib Dem Maidenhead
Justice & Courts
Context

The question aims to understand how younger individuals and those in full-time employment will be encouraged to take on the volunteer role of magistrates, considering potential impacts on their paid work.

Question

How are young people being attracted to become magistrates? What measures address concerns about recruitment for sustainable long-term contributions?

Answer from David Lammy

The reform of expenses is important. We are seeing more self-employed people come forward, showing good progress in diversity across the country.

Not addressed: Specific measures to attract younger individuals and address sustainability concerns

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Q4 Andrew Slaughter Lab Hammersmith and Chiswick
Justice & Courts
Context

Concerns are raised about the sustainability of recruiting new magistrates while also increasing their case complexity, suggesting a need for additional judge-only courts to manage caseloads.

Question

How will the recruitment of more district judges complement efforts to recruit additional magistrates and manage increased case complexity?

Answer from David Lammy

Alongside recruiting magistrates, we are appointing 30 new district judges starting in the second half of 2027. This complements recruitment efforts by adding judge-only courts to manage increased case complexity.

Answered
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Q5 Vikki Slade Lib Dem Mid Dorset and North Poole
Justice & Courts Employment
Context

Concerns have been raised about recruiting individuals with only a few years of work remaining, as well as the need for more legal advisers to support magistrates.

Question

What is being done to address recruitment concerns among younger individuals and the lack of legal advisors in youth justice?

Answer from David Lammy

We are reforming pay and career progression for legal advisers. We will fund more legal advisers, recruiting 100 new trainee legal advisers each year for the next three years to support magistrates courts.

Answered
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