The proposals, now open for consultation, would help create a single system for tribunals in Wales. They would replace the existing tribunals with a unified first-tier tribunal, divided into chambers covering various areas of law, introduce standardised procedural rules and create a Tribunal Procedure Committee for Wales to review and improve the rules.
They would also bring the Valuation Tribunal for Wales and school exclusion appeal panels into the system of tribunals, increasing judicial oversight and, in the case of school exclusion appeal panels, introducing a new right of appeal.
Nicholas Paines QC, Commissioner for Public and Welsh Law, said: ‘The tribunal system in Wales doesn’t work as well as it could.
‘The governing legislation is fragmented and in large part decades old and in need of an overhaul. Our proposals aim to sweep away this complexity and create a single system for tribunals fit for the 21st Century.’
The consultation is open until 19 March 2021. Find out more at www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/devolved-tribunals-in-wales.
