1. What recent conversations has the Counsel General had with other law officers regarding the devolution of justice? OQ58479

Thank you for your question. I have an introductory meeting with the new Attorney-General soon, and I also hope to meet the Lord Chancellor and Ministry of Justice ministerial team in due course. I will, of course, be making the case for devolution of justice during these discussions.

Thank you for your answer. I have recently been contacted by a constituent who, sadly, lost her son and is now part of a group seeking coroners to be held accountable to a public body. Should justice be devolved to the Senedd? I believe it should. What considerations have you given to this issue? Thank you.

Thank you for that supplementary question. The issue of coroners' courts is an important one, and it's one that I think I've raised in this Chamber several times, but it was also considered in the Thomas commission and is also referred to in 'Delivering Justice for Wales'. Can I say, first of all, in terms of your constituent—and I know as someone who represented many people in coroners' courts over the years—that my heart goes out? I know the impact of such tragedies on people, on families, which stay with them for all of their lives. I suppose the starting point, in terms of accountability, is, of course, as with all processes—and, of course, the coroner's court is a court of record, so it has a rather unusual but historic origin—the importance of independence and separation from Government, so, obviously not about accountability to us as a Senedd or to public bodies, but rather its role within the judicial system. 

Bearing in mind also that coroners' courts, the coroners, are, effectively, fully funded within Wales—they're funded by the local authorities; they are publicly funded in that particular way—and I think there is a natural role for those to be within a devolved justice system in their own right, and that is a case I've made and it's a case that I will continue to put. I think it has an unanswerable case for that in its own right, and bearing in mind the particular purpose of the coroners' courts as well.