Commentary on Sections: Part 1 Court staff and accommodation Section 3: Provision of accommodation
17.Section 3 re-models section 28 of the 1971 Act and reflects the Lord Chancellor’s additional responsibility for magistrates’ courts. Subsection (1) gives the Lord Chancellor power to provide, equip, maintain and manage court accommodation. Subsection (2) allows the Lord Chancellor to enter into arrangements with others. Court land will, in practice, be held by the First Secretary of State (Deputy Prime Minister) (who already holds court land, other than for magistrates’ courts), with whom the Lord Chancellor will enter into appropriate arrangements. The Lord Chancellor’s powers will be exercised on his behalf by the new executive agency. Subsection (4) defines the term “court-house”.