❓ A WA parliamentary question seeks data on the efficiency of Justices of the Peace in Petty Sessions Courts. The Minister provides some data but explains that a full answer would require significant resources.
AnsweredQoN 554Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
(1) In the due process of the court system, which needs to be more efficient and effective, over how many cases in the Court of Petty Sessions during the past three months were justices of the peace qualified to preside? (2) Of those cases, how many were conducted by justices of the peace? Hon N.D. GRIFFITHS
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) It is not clear from the question whether ‘cases’ refers to the number of persons that have appeared in the Court of Petty Sessions, or the number of individual charges that have been considered. From 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2001, 37 057 persons appeared in courts of petty sessions throughout the State, and 16 545 of these had their matters finalised. Over the same period, 110 056 charges were considered in courts of petty sessions, and 30 443 of those were finalised. With some statutory exceptions, justices of the peace have the same powers to deal with court of petty sessions matters as magistrates. There is no information readily available to determine precisely which of these matters justices of the peace were qualified to preside over. To obtain a precise response would entail a Department of Justice employee manually checking each matter considered throughout the State, which would take several weeks and considerable resources. The Minister for Justice and Legal Affairs is unable to commit to such resources and expenditure. (2) From 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2001, 3 945 persons - on 6 488 charges - appeared before justices of the peace in courts of petty sessions. Of those, 2 532 - 3 502 charges - had their matters finalised by a justice of the peace.
(2) Of those cases, how many were conducted by justices of the peace? Hon N.D. GRIFFITHS replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) It is not clear from the question whether ‘cases’ refers to the number of persons that have appeared in the Court of Petty Sessions, or the number of individual charges that have been considered. From 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2001, 37 057 persons appeared in courts of petty sessions throughout the State, and 16 545 of these had their matters finalised. Over the same period, 110 056 charges were considered in courts of petty sessions, and 30 443 of those were finalised. With some statutory exceptions, justices of the peace have the same powers to deal with court of petty sessions matters as magistrates. There is no information readily available to determine precisely which of these matters justices of the peace were qualified to preside over. To obtain a precise response would entail a Department of Justice employee manually checking each matter considered throughout the State, which would take several weeks and considerable resources. The Minister for Justice and Legal Affairs is unable to commit to such resources and expenditure. (2) From 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2001, 3 945 persons - on 6 488 charges - appeared before justices of the peace in courts of petty sessions. Of those, 2 532 - 3 502 charges - had their matters finalised by a justice of the peace.
Hon N.D. GRIFFITHS replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) It is not clear from the question whether ‘cases’ refers to the number of persons that have appeared in the Court of Petty Sessions, or the number of individual charges that have been considered. From 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2001, 37 057 persons appeared in courts of petty sessions throughout the State, and 16 545 of these had their matters finalised. Over the same period, 110 056 charges were considered in courts of petty sessions, and 30 443 of those were finalised. With some statutory exceptions, justices of the peace have the same powers to deal with court of petty sessions matters as magistrates. There is no information readily available to determine precisely which of these matters justices of the peace were qualified to preside over. To obtain a precise response would entail a Department of Justice employee manually checking each matter considered throughout the State, which would take several weeks and considerable resources. The Minister for Justice and Legal Affairs is unable to commit to such resources and expenditure. (2) From 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2001, 3 945 persons - on 6 488 charges - appeared before justices of the peace in courts of petty sessions. Of those, 2 532 - 3 502 charges - had their matters finalised by a justice of the peace.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) It is not clear from the question whether ‘cases’ refers to the number of persons that have appeared in the Court of Petty Sessions, or the number of individual charges that have been considered. From 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2001, 37 057 persons appeared in courts of petty sessions throughout the State, and 16 545 of these had their matters finalised. Over the same period, 110 056 charges were considered in courts of petty sessions, and 30 443 of those were finalised. With some statutory exceptions, justices of the peace have the same powers to deal with court of petty sessions matters as magistrates. There is no information readily available to determine precisely which of these matters justices of the peace were qualified to preside over. To obtain a precise response would entail a Department of Justice employee manually checking each matter considered throughout the State, which would take several weeks and considerable resources. The Minister for Justice and Legal Affairs is unable to commit to such resources and expenditure. (2) From 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2001, 3 945 persons - on 6 488 charges - appeared before justices of the peace in courts of petty sessions. Of those, 2 532 - 3 502 charges - had their matters finalised by a justice of the peace.
(1) It is not clear from the question whether ‘cases’ refers to the number of persons that have appeared in the Court of Petty Sessions, or the number of individual charges that have been considered. From 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2001, 37 057 persons appeared in courts of petty sessions throughout the State, and 16 545 of these had their matters finalised. Over the same period, 110 056 charges were considered in courts of petty sessions, and 30 443 of those were finalised. With some statutory exceptions, justices of the peace have the same powers to deal with court of petty sessions matters as magistrates. There is no information readily available to determine precisely which of these matters justices of the peace were qualified to preside over. To obtain a precise response would entail a Department of Justice employee manually checking each matter considered throughout the State, which would take several weeks and considerable resources. The Minister for Justice and Legal Affairs is unable to commit to such resources and expenditure. (2) From 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2001, 3 945 persons - on 6 488 charges - appeared before justices of the peace in courts of petty sessions. Of those, 2 532 - 3 502 charges - had their matters finalised by a justice of the peace.
(2) From 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2001, 3 945 persons - on 6 488 charges - appeared before justices of the peace in courts of petty sessions. Of those, 2 532 - 3 502 charges - had their matters finalised by a justice of the peace.
(2) Of those cases, how many were conducted by justices of the peace? Hon N.D. GRIFFITHS replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) It is not clear from the question whether ‘cases’ refers to the number of persons that have appeared in the Court of Petty Sessions, or the number of individual charges that have been considered. From 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2001, 37 057 persons appeared in courts of petty sessions throughout the State, and 16 545 of these had their matters finalised. Over the same period, 110 056 charges were considered in courts of petty sessions, and 30 443 of those were finalised. With some statutory exceptions, justices of the peace have the same powers to deal with court of petty sessions matters as magistrates. There is no information readily available to determine precisely which of these matters justices of the peace were qualified to preside over. To obtain a precise response would entail a Department of Justice employee manually checking each matter considered throughout the State, which would take several weeks and considerable resources. The Minister for Justice and Legal Affairs is unable to commit to such resources and expenditure. (2) From 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2001, 3 945 persons - on 6 488 charges - appeared before justices of the peace in courts of petty sessions. Of those, 2 532 - 3 502 charges - had their matters finalised by a justice of the peace.
Hon N.D. GRIFFITHS replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) It is not clear from the question whether ‘cases’ refers to the number of persons that have appeared in the Court of Petty Sessions, or the number of individual charges that have been considered. From 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2001, 37 057 persons appeared in courts of petty sessions throughout the State, and 16 545 of these had their matters finalised. Over the same period, 110 056 charges were considered in courts of petty sessions, and 30 443 of those were finalised. With some statutory exceptions, justices of the peace have the same powers to deal with court of petty sessions matters as magistrates. There is no information readily available to determine precisely which of these matters justices of the peace were qualified to preside over. To obtain a precise response would entail a Department of Justice employee manually checking each matter considered throughout the State, which would take several weeks and considerable resources. The Minister for Justice and Legal Affairs is unable to commit to such resources and expenditure. (2) From 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2001, 3 945 persons - on 6 488 charges - appeared before justices of the peace in courts of petty sessions. Of those, 2 532 - 3 502 charges - had their matters finalised by a justice of the peace.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) It is not clear from the question whether ‘cases’ refers to the number of persons that have appeared in the Court of Petty Sessions, or the number of individual charges that have been considered. From 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2001, 37 057 persons appeared in courts of petty sessions throughout the State, and 16 545 of these had their matters finalised. Over the same period, 110 056 charges were considered in courts of petty sessions, and 30 443 of those were finalised. With some statutory exceptions, justices of the peace have the same powers to deal with court of petty sessions matters as magistrates. There is no information readily available to determine precisely which of these matters justices of the peace were qualified to preside over. To obtain a precise response would entail a Department of Justice employee manually checking each matter considered throughout the State, which would take several weeks and considerable resources. The Minister for Justice and Legal Affairs is unable to commit to such resources and expenditure. (2) From 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2001, 3 945 persons - on 6 488 charges - appeared before justices of the peace in courts of petty sessions. Of those, 2 532 - 3 502 charges - had their matters finalised by a justice of the peace.
(1) It is not clear from the question whether ‘cases’ refers to the number of persons that have appeared in the Court of Petty Sessions, or the number of individual charges that have been considered. From 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2001, 37 057 persons appeared in courts of petty sessions throughout the State, and 16 545 of these had their matters finalised. Over the same period, 110 056 charges were considered in courts of petty sessions, and 30 443 of those were finalised. With some statutory exceptions, justices of the peace have the same powers to deal with court of petty sessions matters as magistrates. There is no information readily available to determine precisely which of these matters justices of the peace were qualified to preside over. To obtain a precise response would entail a Department of Justice employee manually checking each matter considered throughout the State, which would take several weeks and considerable resources. The Minister for Justice and Legal Affairs is unable to commit to such resources and expenditure. (2) From 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2001, 3 945 persons - on 6 488 charges - appeared before justices of the peace in courts of petty sessions. Of those, 2 532 - 3 502 charges - had their matters finalised by a justice of the peace.
(2) From 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2001, 3 945 persons - on 6 488 charges - appeared before justices of the peace in courts of petty sessions. Of those, 2 532 - 3 502 charges - had their matters finalised by a justice of the peace.
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