Lady Chief Justice gives evidence to Welsh Parliament
The Lady Chief Justice, The Rt Hon the Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, gave evidence to Welsh Parliament in Cardiff earlier this week (Monday 2 February 2026). This is the first time that any chief justice has given evidence to a Senedd Committee.
Appearing before the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee, Baroness Carr covered a variety of topics. She spoke about the importance of Welsh identity and language – noting there is growing devolved statute book, a judiciary with strong Welsh collegiality, and a long-standing policy that Welsh cases should be heard in Wales.
Other topics of discussion included access to justice and the court estate, performance and backlogs in Wales, and the positive collaboration between the judiciary and HMCTS Wales. Reference was made to the many successful innovations piloted in Wales. Baroness Carr spoke of the rollout of the ‘Pathfinder courts’ across Wales, which have transformed the family court’s engagement with parents into a problem-solving model based on early accounts of the voice of the child. She also spoke about the expansion of Domestic Abuse Protection Orders in North Wales, the women‑focused problem‑solving court at Swansea Magistrates’ court and the police witness live‑links pilot in Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ court.
You can read the transcript of her evidence in full on the judiciary.uk website, or watch her appearance at Senedd.tv.