9. Debate: The President of the Welsh Tribunals Annual Report 2021-22

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:03 pm on 21 March 2023.

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Photo of Heledd Fychan Heledd Fychan Plaid Cymru 5:03, 21 March 2023

Very clearly, Sir Wyn was clear in his support of the Law Commission's recommendations, which would enable the Welsh Tribunals to be more responsive to the devolved legislative landscape, so I do think that we do need to see progress in this regard.

Finally, I'd like to reflect on the overarching conclusion of the Law Commission, echoed by Sir Wyn in his report, which states that the current arrangements for the Welsh Tribunals are,

'complicated and inconsistent, and in some instances, unfit for practice', and do not adequately reflect the scope of the Senedd's competencies. Such a verdict, of course, is applicable to the current justice system as a whole in Wales, which as the Thomas commission and numerous legal scholars have recognised, is also no longer fit for purpose in the devolved era. I hope, therefore, that this report serves to focus attention on the broader need for the full devolution of justice powers in Wales, to end the damaging position that our nation currently finds itself in, relative to the rest of the UK. I would also hope that it will spur Labour Members in particular to impress upon their Westminster colleagues that the proposals of the Gordon Brown report, which are a significant dilution of the Welsh Government's official position on the devolution of justice, are simply not good enough.