Written statement: appointment of the President of the Welsh Language Tribunal

I am delighted to announce that the first President of the Welsh Language Tribunal will be Keith Bush QC.

Appointing Mr Bush as the President to the Tribunal is an integral part of the process of establishing the Welsh language standards. The Tribunal will hear appeals against the Welsh Language Commissioner’s decisions in relation to the standards.

I have made this appointment in line with the Welsh Language Tribunal (Appointment) Regulations 2013, which set out the requirements for appointing the President and other members of the Tribunal.  The appointment process was undertaken by an independent appointment panel which comprised of His Honour Judge Milwyn Jarman QC (Chair); Libby Arfon-Jones (Senior Tribunal Liaison Judge); and Professor Noel Lloyd (Judicial Appointment Commission). I would like to take this opportunity to thank the panel for the thoroughness of their work.

I based my decision on the recommendation of the panel, and the comments of the post-interview consultees – The Lord Chief Justice for England and Wales, and Lord Justice Stephen Richards.

Mr Bush has been a practicing barrister for over 30 years, and was appointed an honorary Queen’s Counsel in 2014 in recognition of his contribution to developing, and increasing public and professional awareness of, Welsh law. He has a high proficiency in the Welsh language, and is currently a part time lecturer at Swansea University and is Director of the Legal Wales Foundation.

This appointment means that the work can now begin to appoint the legally qualified and lay members to the Tribunal. The Tribunal will be established to coincide with the Welsh Language Standards’ timetable.