Mick Antoniw: I agree with that. There was some debate of this in Westminster, where the evidence recalled that with some of the sentences where there were prosecutions it was so paltry that it was an attitude of, 'Well, it's not worth the trouble. It's not worth actually doing it'. I think there's actually a broader imbalance in criminal prosecutions within our society, to the extent that there is a...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. The United Kingdom has been through a period of momentous constitutional change since the advent of devolution. The changes to the way we are governed have transformed and continue to transform our political and constitutional landscape. As a result of the vote in 2016 to leave the European Union, the UK is also now in the midst of one of the most important and...
Mick Antoniw: The current inter-governmental relations are governed through the JMC—the Joint Ministerial Committee. We heard how the JMC needs to improve the way it functions, with some witnesses calling for a complete overhaul. We agreed with those who told us that there is a need to strengthen inter-governmental relations, not just between Wales and England, but as part of a four-nation approach,...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you. Well, firstly, I thank the Counsel General on behalf of the Government for the very positive response that's been made to what is a very radical report. I'd like to thank all the speakers who have contributed, and I won't go through them one by one because I think all the comments made have been positive and made a significant contribution to, really, the steps that have been taken...
Mick Antoniw: Llywydd, can I first of all commend the drafters of the Bill and the considerable skill and work that has gone in? This has been an incredible learning curve for them, but it shows the resources and the skill that exist within this legislature. Can I also say that I agree with very much of what David Melding has said? He has raised all the correct constitutional points in terms of our role,...
Mick Antoniw: Well, I think the reason is because we had the belief—and I believe it was right to have the belief—that the UK Government would listen to the legal advice that was coming forward and would do the right thing. Now, I believe there probably are those in the UK Government who want to do the right thing but have been incapable of actually delivering the sorts of changes that are actually...
Mick Antoniw: 10. What discussions has the Cabinet Secretary had in relation to the current industrial action in the university sector in Wales? OAQ51865
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. Isn't it a tragedy that, throughout the UK, tens of thousands of university staff have had to go on strike to resist a unilateral change by Universities UK to their pension scheme, and in some cases that will mean a pensions reduction in value of up to 40 per cent? On Monday, Cabinet Secretary, I had the honour of joining members of University...
Mick Antoniw: 6. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the development of the proposed South Wales Metro servicing depot in Taff's Well? OAQ51863
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for that answer. Of course, we welcome all the steps that have been taken with Transport for Wales and with this potential new job opportunity in the Taff Ely area, which is of considerable significance. The issue I raise really is about engagement with the local community. I remember the site well as the former South Wales Forgemasters site. The issues that will arise will...
Mick Antoniw: As a child in the early 1960s I regularly visited circuses, as did most kids, and there was a certain irony at the time because then you used to get circuses sponsored by companies such as Brooke Bond and other companies like that, and of course they would all give out to you the cards you used to get with packets of tea, which were cards of wildlife, and you'd go to the circus and you'd have...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Llywydd. I can feel the excitement in the air in that you've all waited for this report, and I will do my best not to disappoint. We laid our report on the scrutiny of regulations made under the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill on 16 February, and made seven recommendations. Before I talk about our findings, I wanted briefly to explain the context within which this work was...
Mick Antoniw: As it is currently drafted, the EU withdrawal Bill has been strongly criticised for the way in which powers to make regulations are to be exercised, with many parliamentary committees from UK legislatures expressing concern at an excessive transfer of power from legislature to government. In particular, this is to be achieved through the use of extensive Henry VIII powers, with the...
Mick Antoniw: However, we echo the concerns raised by the Hansard Society in respect of the scrutiny procedure that applies in certain urgent cases. These concerns are that the Bill does not impose a statutory duty on the Ministers of the Crown to explain the urgency; that there are no defined limits to the cases, which may or may not be urgent; the sift mechanism can be bypassed completely, again without...
Mick Antoniw: Firstly, thank you to all those who've contributed and spent time going through the detail of this report. I welcome, again, my fellow committee members on this, who've worked very hard in very narrow time frames, and also the staff, who've also done that as well. And it's fair to say this is probably one of the most boring, geeky reports that will ever come before this Chamber. [Laughter.]...
Mick Antoniw: First Minister, in Taff Ely and Pontypridd, of course, we have six very well-run, exemplary community councils who've put forward this submission towards the consultations under way—that's Llantrisant, Llantwit Fardre, Pontyclun, Pontypridd, Taffs Well and Nantgarw, and Tonyrefail. They've put forward a number of recommendations in terms of how they see the role of community councils...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Llywydd. And thank you for the comments that have been made by the Chair of EAAL. I do find that, after the very detailed comments that have been made by the Cabinet Secretary and by the Chair, it's a bit like being the best man at a wedding when you find that the groom has stolen your speech and made all the points that you wanted to make. But can I say that, in our committee,...
Mick Antoniw: Diolch, Llywydd. May I first of all just remind Members, of course, that the purpose of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee report is not to deal with the specific policy and the related evidential issues around policy, but rather to look at the technical and the legislative cogency related to the Bill and the balance of powers and the way those powers are exercised within...
Mick Antoniw: So, we reported on this Bill on 5 March and made six recommendations to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services, and I hope our report proves helpful to Assembly Members in taking decisions on this Bill. The consideration of human rights is an important requirement when assessing matters of legislative competence. In light of this consideration, our first recommendation relates...
Mick Antoniw: Well, I think there are differentiations between them. I think there was a very specific circumstance here, because the actual minimum price being on the face of the Bill, which I think is the issue that you're raising, goes to the actual root of how effective the legislation actually is in itself, and that, in the absence of that, will determine how this Assembly might wish to consider what...
