Administrative Justice and the Legacy of Executive Devolution: Establishing a Tribunals System for Wales

Uniquely, Wales has a primary legislature, but remains part of a single legal jurisdiction with England. It does not have responsibility for administering civil and criminal justice but has long had a range of devolved tribunals. Given this jurisdictional and constitutional context, a distinctively Welsh approach to administrative law and administrative justice, tribunal reform, and “integrity” institutions has developed. Welsh tribunals have become a test bed for further devolution of justice powers and the eventual establishment of a separate Welsh courts and tribunals service. In this article we examine reforms to Welsh tribunals, alongside the potential for building a broader justice system from the foundations of administrative justice

Administrative Justice in Wales

This article examines some of the synergies between Phil Thomas’ work and the authors’ research into administrative justice in Wales. Like him, they have examined the impact of new rights-based legislation on access to justice, and also share with him an interest in connections between politics, social policy, and access to justice. The article argues that Wales is not yet taken seriously as ‘a site in which [administrative] justice is done’, and that there remains an ‘implementation gap’ when it comes to putting innovative social policy into practice. The limited development of an administrative justice culture can hamper the achievement of social and economic justice in Wales; such a culture could be fostered with leadership from the Welsh Government and the Senedd, alongside improved training for administrators, and the potential addition of ‘a just Wales’ to the well-being goals contained in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015

The Ongoing Devolution Processes in the United Kingdom

The Scottish independence referendum in 2014 was a significant constitutional event in the United Kingdom. Following the Scottish vote to remain a part of the union, the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, initiated several processes to enhance devolution in Scotland and in every other nation of the UK as well. This chapter discusses those reforms in Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland and consider their implications for the UK constitution as a whole

Building a Welsh jurisdiction through administrative justice

In light of the current debate around establishing a separate or distinct legal jurisdiction for Wales, the aim of this chapter is to highlight that administrative justice is an area where differences in the administration of justice are already occurring in Wales as compared to England and other parts of the UK. In particular the chapter will focus on devolved tribunals in Wales and comparable tribunal reforms in other devolved parts of the UK. I consider the on-going development of the devolved Welsh tribunals and the place of these institutions in debates surrounding a future Welsh legal jurisdiction

Administrative justice and the legacy of executive devolution: establishing a tribunals system for Wales

Uniquely, Wales has a primary legislature, but remains part of a single legal jurisdiction with England. It does not have responsibility for administering civil and criminal justice but has long had a range of devolved tribunals. Given this jurisdictional and constitutional context, a distinctively Welsh approach to administrative law and administrative justice, tribunal reform, and “integrity” institutions has developed. Welsh tribunals have become a test bed for further devolution of justice powers and the eventual establishment of a separate Welsh courts and tribunals service. In this article we examine reforms to Welsh tribunals, alongside the potential for building a broader justice system from the foundations of administrative justice

Constitution-building in Wales: finding ways forward

A workshop report following a Wales Governance Centre workshop on Constitution-building in Wales. It expores the experiences of the design and process of past constitutional commissions in Wales. The report also summarises the discussion on how to utilise forms of deliberative democracy, such as citizens' assemblies, in any future commission

Yr Awdurdodaeth Gymreig: Dadansoddiad o Ddatblygiad a Chyfraniad Tribiwnlysoedd Cymreig i Awdurdodaeth Gyfreithiol ar wahân i Gymru

Amcan yr ymchwil yw cyfrannu at y drafodaeth gyfredol ynglŷn â sefydlu awdurdodaeth gyfreithiol ar wahân i Gymru. Drwy edrych ar y tribiwnlysoedd datganoledig yng Nghymru, sef y tribiwnlysoedd Cymreig, yn benodol mae modd cydnabod bod awdurdodaeth eisoes yn bodoli a bod rhai grymoedd gan Lywodraeth Cymru a Chynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru dros weinyddu cyfiawnder. Mae tribiwnlysoedd yn cael eu cydnabod fel rhan bwysig o awdurdodaethau’r Deyrnas Unedig erbyn hyn. Felly, mae’r ffaith bod gan Gymru dribiwnlysoedd sy’n gweinyddu’r gyfraith ar gyfer Cymru’n unig yn arwyddocaol ac yn dangos bod awdurdodaeth Cymru a Lloegr eisoes wedi cychwyn gwahanu mewn rhai ffyrdd. Mae hynny’n gosod sail ar gyfer ystyried y grymoedd sydd gan Gymru yn barod a sut mae modd adeiladu ar y sylfaen hwnnw er mwyn datganoli grymoedd cyfiawnder pellach. Edrychir ar ddatblygiad systemau tribiwnlysoedd datganoledig cyfatebol yn yr Alban a Gogledd Iwerddon er mwyn ystyried beth yw’r anghenion a’r heriau ar gyfer datblygu systemau tebyg. Ystyrir a oes diwygiadau y gellir eu haddasu i Gymru o’r systemau hynny. Yn sgil hynny, gwneir argymhellion am faterion penodol y dylid eu diwygio er mwyn hybu datganoli cyfiawnder ymhellach i Gymru. Mae hynny’n cynnwys datblygu gwasanaethau a strwythurau gweinyddu cyfiawnder Cymreig yn ogystal â datblygiadau mwy ymarferol ynglŷn â gweinyddu cyfiawnder y gellir eu gwneud yn y tymor byr a’r tymor hir. O ganlyniad, mae modd i’r tribiwnlysoedd Cymreig ddarparu’r sylfaen ar gyfer system gyfreithiol ar wahân ehangach i Gymru yn y dyfodol