I am glad to be here today. I hope you have enjoyed the day and the heats you took part in.
Over 200 of you have given up part of your weekend to take part in a competition which is about the sorts of real life issues that matter to people every day. I'm told that over 350 schools participated in the competition heats.
It's great that so many of you are choosing to learn about the different ways our society works. The legal system is one of the basic foundations of any civilised society. It protects people and offers them justice. You are choosing to learn more about the legal system and many of you I am sure, will go on to have highly successful careers as lawyers or prosecutors.
The Magistrates' courts are a vital part of the legal system. The courts manage about 97% of all criminal cases. That is a lot of work. Vital work that makes your communities safer places to live.
We owe a lot to the 30,000 odd magistrates who give up their time and energy to hear those cases without being paid for it. They volunteer because they understand that everyone in society has a responsibility for the society in which they live. There is something very special about citizenship, about understanding society and your place in it.
But citizenship isn't confined to becoming a magistrate. There are lots of ways in which you can be active within your communities. My Department, the Department for Constitutional Affairs, will be holding sessions at the fourth annual sitting of the UK Youth Parliament in a few days time. 375 people who have won elections in their schools will be there. I encourage you to find out more about the youth parliament, and other programmes in your communities. To get involved.
The Government cannot run the country on its own. Your involvement is vital if the Government is to do its job properly. We rely on you.
My Department, for example, is responsible for running the courts. It promotes human rights and helps to run elections. It decides how judges are appointed and gives money to people in court cases who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford a lawyer. We can't make decisions on these issues if we don't understand what you want and need.
So, well done to all of you for taking part in this competition. My congratulations in particular to the winners today. And do keep in touch with the Citizenship Foundation.
I hope that you will go away from today with a sense of why the issues you have been debating really matter. And, most importantly, that you will want to share that sense with others.