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Plaid angered by appointment of non-Welsh speaking judge 27/10/2004
Plaid Cymru’s parliamentary leader Elfyn Llwyd MP today expressed concern over the Department for Constitutional Affairs’ failure to appoint, or even consider appointing, a Welsh speaking District Judge in North Wales. According to Mr Llwyd, the department’s stated reasons for not appointing a Welsh speaking judge to the North Wales circuit are not justified.
In a letter to the Secretary to the Gwynedd Law Society, the department initially claimed there were no Welsh speaking suitable candidates for the post. Mr Llwyd however is aware of four Welsh speaking Deputy District Judges who should have been considered for the post and who would have been known to the department during the recruitment process. The department on the other hand claims the four Welsh speaking Deputy District Judges were not known to them at the time the appointment was made.
Speaking from London today, Elfyn Llwyd MP said: “We now find ourselves in a situation where the District Judge for North Wales is unable to deal with any matters relating to the Welsh language in magistrates courts in the area. This is clearly unacceptable. The Department for Constitutional Affairs claims it was unaware of the four Welsh speaking Deputy District Judges suitable for this post. If this is the case, it shows gross incompetence on their behalf.
“The government claims it is in favour of the promotion of the Welsh language and is against any form of social exclusion. Their failure to appoint a District Judge for North Wales able to hear cases through the Welsh language contradicts this position entirely.”
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