Law Commission at Aberystwyth

Law commission logo

Law commission logo

07 March 2013

Tomorrow, Friday 8 March, the Law Commission will hold a seminar at the Department of Law and Criminology at Aberystwyth University to discuss the creation of a Welsh Advisory Committee.

The Chair, Lord Justice (Sir David) Lloyd Jones, has been a judge of the Court of Appeal since October 2012, is Chairman of the Law Commission and also an Aberystwyth University Fellow.

A statutory independent body created by the Law Commissions Act 1965, the Law Commission of England and Wales aims to keep the law under review and to recommend reform where it is needed.

The Advisory Committee’s mandate is likely to include advising on the selection of projects for the Commission’s Twelfth Programme of law reform.

It is thought that the Committee would have a valuable role to play in relation to the consultation process and in the assessment of proposed projects which lie in policy areas wholly or partly devolved to the Welsh Assembly or Welsh Ministers or which impact significantly on devolved responsibilities.

Professor Noel Cox, Head of the Department of Law and Criminology explains, “The establishment of this new body, to advise and support the Law Commission, is an important new initiative to bring the work of the Commission closer to the people of Wales, and to encourage fuller participation in the process of law reform. We are very happy to host this important meeting and to be involved in the establishment of the new advisory council.

Sir David Lloyd Jones says: “The Law Commission is keen for the people of Wales to have more opportunities to engage in the process of law reform. We are grateful to the Aberystwyth University for hosting this seminar and hope to see the influence of a Welsh Advisory Committee reflected in our forthcoming Twelfth Programme.”

Sir David will also be holding a lecture for staff and students at 5pm in C22 of the Hugh Owen building today, Thursday 7 March, at which will discuss the process of law reform.

Sir David has previously been a judge of the High Court, Queen's Bench Division since 2005. He was a Presiding Judge of Wales from 2008 to 2011.

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