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Bilingual Juries (Wales) Bill


 

Bilingual Juries (Wales) Bill

 

 
 

Contents

1   

Amendment of the Juries Act 1974

2   

Short title, commencement and extent

 

Bill 46                                                                                                 

54/2

 
 

Bilingual Juries (Wales) Bill

1

 

A

Bill

To

Amend section 10 of the Juries Act 1974 to provide that in certain cases all

members of a jury be bilingual in Welsh and English; and for connected

purposes. 

Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and

consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present

Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1       

Amendment of the Juries Act 1974

(1)   

The Juries Act 1974 (c. 23) is amended as follows.

(2)   

In section 10, after “English” insert “or in Wales, where a party, witness or other

person may use Welsh in the course of the hearing, insufficient understanding

of Welsh,”.

5

(3)   

At the end of section 10, add—

“(2)   

For the purposes of assessing the sufficiency of a person’s

understanding of Welsh, it shall be sufficient that the person has made

an assertion of his ability to speak Welsh in the annual return made to

the local authority of the place in which he resides.

10

(3)   

It shall be a duty of electoral registration officers of local authorities in

Wales to send to such persons as the Lord Chancellor may by order

designate copies of the electoral register for their area indicating those

persons within the age limits of jury service able to speak Welsh, and

the register shall be sufficient evidence of a person’s ability to

15

understand Welsh for the purposes of subsection (1).

(4)   

An order made by statutory instrument under subsection (3) shall be

subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of

Parliament.”

2       

Short title, commencement and extent

20

(1)   

This Act may be cited as the Bilingual Juries (Wales) Act.

(2)   

The preceding provisions of this Act shall come into force at the end of the

period of 12 months beginning with the day on which this Act is passed.

 
Bill 46 54/2
 
 

Bilingual Juries (Wales) Bill

2

 

(3)   

This Act extends to Wales only.

 
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