{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/courts-act-2003/section-21",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/courts-act-2003/section-21.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2003/39",
  "legislation_title": "Courts Act 2003",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/courts-act-2003",
  "path": "section/21",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "21",
  "heading": "Duty to consult lay justices on matters affecting them etc.",
  "text": "(1) The Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice must take all reasonable and practicable steps—\n(a) for ensuring that lay justices acting in a local justice area are kept informed of matters affecting them in the performance of their duties, and\n(b) for ascertaining their views on such matters.\n(2) The Lord Chief Justice may nominate a judicial office holder (as defined in section 109(4) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005) to exercise his functions under this section.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 21 renumbered as s. 21(1) (3.4.2006) by Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4), s. 15, Sch. 4 para. 322(2); S.I. 2006/1014, art. 2(a), Sch. 1 para. 11(y)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 21(1) inserted (3.4.2006) by Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4), s. 15, Sch. 4 para. 322(3); S.I. 2006/1014, art. 2(a), Sch. 1 para. 11(y)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "S. 21(2) inserted (3.4.2006) by Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4), s. 15, Sch. 4 para. 322(4); S.I. 2006/1014, art. 2(a), Sch. 1 para. 11(y)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/39/section/21",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:17:53.122162+00:00",
    "licence": "OGL-UK-3.0",
    "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
    "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
  }
}