7. Debate: Report of the Commission on Justice in Wales

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:48 pm on 4 February 2020.

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Photo of Mark Reckless Mark Reckless Conservative 5:48, 4 February 2020

I concur in many circumstances that the Member is correct in his diagnosis. 

In this report, reading chapter 11 on the Welsh language and then chapter 12 on the governance of professions, I'm not convinced that they are linked sufficiently. Currently, legal exams are not available, at degree level at least, in Welsh. This proposes that they should be and people should be able to qualify solely through the medium of Welsh and solely demonstrate proficiency through examinations in Welsh, but then proposes that they should continue to have a joint profession and that we have the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board regulating on that basis.

But if people from Wales who've qualified are to practice in England but have only demonstrated proficiency in Welsh through the education and examinations, is it reasonable to expect those England-and-Wales regulatory bodies to act in that way?