, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Motion under Standing Order 17.42 to resolve to exclude the public from the remainder of the meeting
I then move on to, in accordance with Standing Order 17.42, invite the committee to resolve to exclude the public from the remainder of the meeting. Do Members agree? Yes. Okay. Thank you.
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
Diolch yn fawr iawn.
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
Thank you. Thank you very much.
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
As you've probably seen, I tend to move around, and, when I get further from the microphone, they don't necessarily pick up all the words.
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
Thank you very much, thank you both for coming along, and we are very grateful. You'll get a copy of the transcript. I would urge you to read the transcript, because, if you're anything like me, I tend to move away from the microphone every now and again, and…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
Okay, thank you very much. I've got no further questions, but it would be remiss of me not to do two things. One is thank you for coming along and giving evidence to us today, and, secondly, is there anything that you'd like to tell us, the question we didn't…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
How do you ensure that members of the Welsh tribunals are able to access the training and support they need?
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
But that's not just about access to justice, is it? We have lots of forms you can fill in either in English or Welsh. About one in five of the Welsh population identify as Welsh speakers; the proportion filling the Welsh version in is under 5 per cent. So…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
Thank you. Sorry, Luke.
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
And I struggle with complicated items in Welsh. My wife, who is a first-language Welsh speaker, would definitely do hers through English, because people feel more comfortable in dealing with professional matters. And that has a lot to do with history, which…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
I don't feel confident.
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
If you don't mind my coming in here, Luke, I speak as someone who speaks Welsh every day, speaks it to friends and family, who rarely speaks it in the Chamber, rarely speaks it here.
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
Thank you very much. Luke.
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
I don't want to try and do your job, so apologies if you think I am, but the possibility of somebody who hasn't ticked those two boxes, to go back to them and say, 'Do you have a preference between online and in person?' when they haven't ticked those, and if…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
If you were to change just the one thing, if people don't tick either 'in person' or 'online', and instead of defaulting to 'in person', you defaulted to 'online', would that make substantial savings?
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
Do you believe the Welsh tribunals have the resources and support they need to ensure cases are disposed of speedily, efficiently and justly?
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
Okay. I'm sure you'll come back and tell us how you've got on some time in the future.
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
It's nice to go with patient choice, but is it informed or uninformed patient choice? A lot of people, when given the option, 'Can I see you in person or can I see you online?' normally say, 'In person', as we discover all the time when people want to speak…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
Okay. Thank you. You did talk about online being a lot cheaper. How many of your tribunals are currently being held online, and how do you decide which ones to hold online and which ones to hold in person?
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
Thank you very much. The budget for the Welsh Tribunals had overspends over the last two years—more than £220,000 in 2022-23 and over £860,000 in 2023-24. What factors have led to this overspend and how do you intend to address this in the coming year?
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
Alun.
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
Diolch. Luke.
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
Okay. Thank you very much. Alun.
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
Thank you. I think you've answered nearly all of my next question, but if there's anything that you would like to add to what you've already said: how have you engaged with the Welsh Government during your first year in post?
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence Session with the President of the Welsh Tribunals
What are your main reflections from your first year in the post as president of Welsh Tribunals?
