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: 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 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. I'm glad to see the implementation—
Rhys ab Owen: Yes, sorry—that's why I was shocked there, Llywydd. [Laughter.]
Rhys ab Owen: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Minister, I'm glad to see the implementation plans for female offending and youth justice blueprints. Not having an agreed time frame was a criticism in the Commission on Justice in Wales report. I was also glad to receive your written statement earlier this month, which mentioned the Visiting Mum service—children visiting their mothers in prison; it's so important...
Rhys ab Owen: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Wales could be a thriving independent nation—the words of the right honourable Michael Gove. I look forward to seeing him in the next Yes Cymru rally. Now, in fairness to him, and I can be fair to Tories also, he did go on to say that people in Wales benefit from having two Governments, and that devolution is the best of both worlds for Wales. I, of course, don't...
Rhys ab Owen: Diolch. Later on today, there's a debate about the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, and I'm pleased about this, because I'm a strong believer that Acts of Parliament need to be enforceable, not only aspirational. I'm aware of three occasions that this Act has been in front of the courts and has tried to be used in a judicial review, and in each case the public authority...
Rhys ab Owen: Counsel General, it's not difficult to see the lack of primary legislation this term in this place. After six months of the sixth Senedd, I'm aware of only one Government Bill that has been presented to the Senedd. Indeed, Peter Fox's Bill was opposed by Government partially because of a lack of time. In the fifth Senedd, only 32 Bills were passed in this place, as compared with 85 in the...
Rhys ab Owen: 6. What legal advice has the Counsel General given to the Welsh Government regarding the ban on combustible cladding materials implemented by the Building (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2019? OQ57232
Rhys ab Owen: I'm grateful for that answer, Cwnsler Cyffredinol. You'll be aware that the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee in the last Senedd wrote to the housing Minister highlighting that the ban on combustible cladding materials did not extend to buildings below 18m. Was there a legal reason for doing that? They also raised concerns with regard to support for leaseholders. What...
Rhys ab Owen: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'd like to start this debate by quoting Non and Gwenallt Rees, who don't live very far from this place: 'Why are we as owners of flats responsible for facing huge costs of solving the problem of cladding created by others?' And I believe that all of us can agree with that statement. It's not up to them to pay for the mistakes of others.
Rhys ab Owen: Through no fault of their own, hundreds, if not thousands, like Gwenallt and Non Rees, are facing huge insurance costs, service charges and bills to deal with the cladding scandal. Many have the mental strain of worrying that they might live in an unsafe building and cannot move. I have met many of these residents in my six months here in the Senedd, and the strain is obvious on the faces of...
Rhys ab Owen: So, thank you from the bottom of my heart to those Members, across parties, who have co-submitted this debate with me, namely Peter Fox and Mike Hedges, and to the Members who have supported this debate, namely Mabon ap Gwynfor and Jane Dodds. This demonstrates clearly that there is obvious cross-party support here in the Senedd to support Gwenallt and Non and the thousands of others who are...
