Mick Antoniw: Well, I'd like to thank the Member for his contribution, and it was very similar to the contribution he made about 18 months, two years ago. It hasn’t changed at all. It seems to me you haven’t realised that the debate has moved on. We’ve had the debate over the merits of the commission and the purpose to it, and what we’re now having is a commission that is actually engaging about...
Mick Antoniw: I thank the Member very much for those very detailed questions—a large number of questions. I'll do my best to try and answer them. Perhaps I could just preface them by—. Of course, I do actually want to wait and see what the outcome of the independent commission's report is. Within our respective political parties, within our communities, within our organisations, of course we all have...
Mick Antoniw: As far as the issue of—. I mean, I understand the position you have with independence. For me, the main issue has always actually been the issue of subsidiarity. All countries and economies have a certain degree of interdependency; that was one of the functions of the European Union. And, in many ways, when you start taking the terminology out of terms, in actual fact, there is actually...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Huw, for those comments, and also for the work your committee has done and the work that it will do. Of course, there are a lot of constitutional engagements taking place between the four nations of the UK at the moment, including on the issue of common frameworks, some of which are being considered by committees within this Senedd, and these frameworks, of course, were created on...
Mick Antoniw: Point taken.
Mick Antoniw: I thank you for the comments and the spirit in which they were made. You say it's one of the most biased documents so far, but it is an interim report. I wasn't really too sure that there was that much in it that you could read as being that biased, but I suppose when you say that it's the most biased document against the UK Government, I suppose what you can say is that it's probably quite...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for your comments, Peredur. I actually think the Gordon Brown report is progressive. It's progressive because it talks about additional powers here; it talks about providing a constitutional framework to protect devolution and to protect the Sewel process; it talks about an unlimited subsidiarity as a fundamental principle—that power should be as close to the people as possible...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Mike. I certainly agree with that last point that we can’t carry on like this. That’s precisely why I think we’ve been going down the road that we have, precisely why we have the commission. I think one of the most important things—whether you call it devolution, decentralisation of powers, subsidiarity or whatever—is the principles on which it’s based, what is the...
Mick Antoniw: Can I say, firstly, that I think your representation of the interim report and the work up to that stage is, indeed, a misrepresentation? Because what they have done is put forward a whole series of evidence sessions. Again, you're right in terms of the online consultation, and, to be honest, that's the same with just about every online consultation that takes place, that you have a large...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you. The terms of reference of the commission were well set out and we've been debating them on many occasions within this Chamber. I met recently with the commission, as the First Minister has, and I think they've explained, now, the process of engagement that they want to do and some of the directions of the issues they want to look at. They may want to look at these...
Mick Antoniw: Well, thank you for that last comment. If water can be turned into wine, then I'm pretty sure that commissions can be turned into constitutional reform. Listen, the point that you make is a valid one, isn't it? There is a recognition—and I hope there is common ground that there's a recognition that our constitutional structures, the status quo, are not acceptable, not workable, and there...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Rhianon, for those comments. The commission has set out a programme of much deeper engagement, much deeper consultation, and the establishment of groups within communities with which it will engage, and I know that that was one of the points that I raised and others raised when we met with them—'How are you going to go about it?' There was clearly a lot of work and a lot of...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for that, and again, I'm grateful to the Llywydd for her generosity, or shall I say extravagance? [Laughter.] The point you make on sovereignty is an important one, and I have been saying at every opportunity I get that the concept of Westminster sovereignty disappeared some time ago. It may not be completely recognised and maybe our constitutional structure may not have caught up...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for the opportunity to make a contribution to this debate. Can I also start by reiterating my thanks to the Welsh people and to this Senedd for the overwhelming support for Ukraine and the recognition that this is not just a war for Ukrainians, that it's a war to defend the rule of law, democracy and international law? Can I express my thanks also for the incredible support for...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for your question. The Welsh Government has repeatedly expressed concerns to the UK Government about women who had their state pension age raised without effective or sufficient notification. We await the full report of the ombudsman’s investigation, which will recommend actions for the Department for Work and Pensions to remedy the injustice found.
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for that supplementary question. Just by way of general comment to your question, I think the treatment of women born in the 1950s by successive Conservative Governments remains a national scandal. Since the launch of the WASPI campaign in 2015, more than 200,000 WASPI women have died without ever seeing or receiving pension justice, so the women who continue to be affected by this...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you very much for the question, Mabon.
Mick Antoniw: These regulations, which came into force in December 2022, are complex and they were subject to an urgent drafting window. We are very grateful to the work of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee’s report on these regulations, and we've taken steps to address the points that were raised by the committee, including an amending instrument which will be brought forward shortly.
Mick Antoniw: Well, I certainly am content that the regulations will be fit for purpose, and that any adjustments or alterations that need to be made will be done in the appropriate way. The regulations themselves provide, obviously, for the continuation of the existing legal framework within Wales and Great Britain for the importation of live animals and animal products, so they are important regulations....
Mick Antoniw: There have been previous statements and responses to questions that have set out the budget—that's all in the public domain. I don't think there's any dispute or any lack of any transparency about what that budget amounts to.
