Written question WQ93129
- Asked by
- Rhys ab OwenIndependent
- To be answered by
- Counsel General
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 12 days
Question
How is the Welsh Government working with the legal sector to increase the number of criminal law barristers engaging in public work, following the Reducing the backlog in the Crown Court report by the National Audit Office showing this number has fallen by 10 per cent between 2016-17 and 2021-22?
Answer
Answered by Counsel General
Justice is a reserved matter, and therefore the matters raised by these questions are the responsibility of the UK Government, working in partnership with the judiciary, the legal professions and other (largely reserved) delivery agencies.
While the Welsh Government does attempt to monitor the situation, I do note that the report referenced data that does not distinguish between England and Wales. My understanding is that court backlogs have in particular varied quite significantly by region, with Wales performing above the average across England and Wales.
That said, the future viability of the Criminal Bar is a common theme across the UK. I therefore seek to work closely wherever we can with the legal sector to address the issues it faces, of which recruitment and retention is one. For example, I regularly attend the executive committee of the Law Council, who currently have a Legal Services Strategy group, considering (among other things) the recruitment and retention of legal talent in Wales. This would include barristers alongside solicitors and other legal professionals.