Rhys ab Owen: What discussions has the Counsel General had with the Ministry of Justice about an update to the criminal legal aid review?
Rhys ab Owen: In every annual report, as you've mentioned, Sir Wyn Williams has emphasised the importance of the independence of the Welsh Tribunals unit. And not for one second do I question that independence, but, as you are aware, it is crucial that justice is seen to be done. I'm sure you would agree, but just for the record, would you agree that we need structural independence for this unit within...
Rhys ab Owen: Moving on to the tribunal structure, if the Welsh Government and the Senedd are serious about getting justice devolved here, we need to ensure that what we have already is being run well. The Commission on Justice in Wales in October 2019 made many recommendations about the Welsh tribunals, and I look forward to seeing the full report of the Law Commission next month. I welcomed its...
Rhys ab Owen: I'd like to echo the tributes to Sir Wyn Williams, the members of the tribunals, and the Welsh Tribunals unit for all of the excellent work that they have done over this extremely challenging year with the pandemic. I'm very pleased, given the very sensible extension to Sir Wyn's term of office into March of next year, that this won't be his final annual report. We have been extremely...
Rhys ab Owen: In promoting the development of this institution in taking on more powers, one of the strongest arguments that we can make is that we can do things better here in Wales than is done in Westminster. This is not good practice in drafting law in Wales. And for those reasons, we, as Plaid Cymru, will not be voting in favour of this LCM. Thank you.
Rhys ab Owen: Welsh provisions have been added to this Bill without any opportunity for real scrutiny in this place. This also means that the Bill will not be bilingual, that it will not form a part of Welsh law—and in that regard, it is less accessible and confuses the devolved settlement further. It's also contrary to the Government's own principles.
Rhys ab Owen: In addition, the stopgap regulation laid on 1 November coming to force that very same day—. As the Chair said, we all appreciate that there need to be breaches of the 21-day rule. But, there are breaches and there are breaches—laid at 9 a.m. and enforced by 6 p.m. This was made over seven months after the regulation was introduced in England. This is not good law making, Minister. We can...
Rhys ab Owen: The Minister's comments about the Bill aligning with England further undermine devolution by suggesting, as the Chair mentioned, that following England is the norm. With the Westminster Government flexing its muscular unionism, with us here hearing, quite correctly, time after time, from Welsh Ministers of the impact that the Westminster Government is having on the devolution settlement, I...
Rhys ab Owen: Why is the UK Government expected to consult with the Welsh Government in introducing a Bill that relates to England only, in an area that is devolved to Wales? It's the role of the Welsh Parliament to pass legislation in devolved areas. It's not the role of the Westminster Government to consult with the Welsh Government as to whether they want to include something in a Westminster Bill.
Rhys ab Owen: The committee has asked a series of important questions, not to be awkward, Minister, not to ask questions for the sake of asking questions, but because that is the role of the committee, and it's the duty of the Minister to answer those questions, especially when using the LCM system that bypasses the full scrutiny of the Senedd. The history of the Bill, as mentioned by the Chairman of the...
Rhys ab Owen: May I start by saying that I agree entirely with the comments made by the committee Chair? And I thank him and the clerking team for all the work that they do. May I also say that this is a concern not only for your department, Minister, but for many other departments within Government? And I and other members of the committee have huge concerns about the LCM process as it undermines us as an...
Rhys ab Owen: —congratulate you and Adam Price—
Rhys ab Owen: —on reaching the higher ground, the higher common ground, and I hope other parties will follow that, but I am sure others will try and pull it down later on in this session. The commitment to try and achieve net zero by 2035 is such an important part of the co-operation agreement between our parties, and technology will play a key role in doing that. You said in your written statement...
Rhys ab Owen: Prif Weinidog, last night, I watched with my one-year-old daughter an episode of Peppa Pig, the cartoon that inspired the Prime Minister after a visit to a theme park. I'm not so much of a fan as the Prime Minister, but Peppa did have some wise words in last night's episode. [Laughter.] She said, 'There are two types of balloons in the world: balloons that go up and balloons that go down',...
Rhys ab Owen: Thank you very much, Llywydd. I want to congratulate cymanfa ganu Westminster on its centenary celebrations this year. The gymanfa was established in 1920 by the Prime Minister at the time, David Lloyd George, to commemorate those who lost their lives in the first world war. Of course, they're celebrating the centenary this year because they were unable to meet last year, for obvious reasons....
Rhys ab Owen: I'm pleased to hear that, Minister. As Rhun ap Iorwerth suggested, the history of Wales is full of farmers being forced to leave their land. I'm pleased to see the Deputy Minister, Lee Waters, here, as he has spoken very powerfully about the family of his grandfather being evicted in the Epynt clearance in 1940. The loss of Epynt, the loss of a whole community and, as Rhun ap Iorwerth said,...
Rhys ab Owen: Diolch yn fawr, Weinidog. Effectively run elections are the cornerstone of any good democracy, and it's important that voters feel that voting is accessible to them. On polling day for the Senedd earlier this year, understandably because of COVID regulations, we had to vote in a different way. But one side effect of that were long queues at many polling stations, some up to two hours, and I...
Rhys ab Owen: 6. What assessment has the Minister made of the arrangements for next year's local elections to ensure that they are run effectively? OQ57188
Rhys ab Owen: 8. What support is the Welsh Government providing to tenant farmers regarding security of tenure? OQ57181
Rhys ab Owen: Counsel General, as regards the expert panel, how they will be appointed, and when do you believe they will be appointed? And I note that the secretariat will be separate from the civil service, but can we ensure that the secretariat does receive support and resources from the civil service when necessary?
