66Composition of magistrates' courts for domestic proceedings: general
(1)Subject to the provisions of this section, a magistrates' court when hearing domestic proceedings shall be composed of not more than 3 justices of the peace, including, so far as practicable, both a man and a woman.
(2)Subsection (1) above shall not apply to a magistrates' court for an inner London petty sessions area, and, notwithstanding anything in section 67 below, for the purpose of exercising jurisdiction to hear domestic proceedings such a court shall be composed of—
(a)a metropolitan stipendiary magistrate as chairman and one or 2 lay justices who are members of the domestic court panel for that area ; or
(b)2 or 3 lay justices who are members of that panel;
or, if it is not practicable for such a court to be so composed, the court shall for that purpose be composed of a metropolitan stipendiary magistrate sitting alone.
(3)Where in pursuance of subsection (2) above a magistrates' court includes lay justices it shall, so far as practicable, include both a man and a woman.
(4)In the preceding provisions of this section " lay justices " means justices of the peace for the inner London area who are not metropolitan stipendiary magistrates.
(5)In this section " inner London petty sessions area " means the City of London or any petty sessional division of the inner London area.