Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for his question. I have begun to consider how technology could be used in helping us make Welsh law easier to find and understand. I recently met with the National Archives and with a judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia to discuss law as a form of data and how artificial intelligence could make law more accessible and easier to administer.
Jeremy Miles: Well, I thank the Member for his question. He raises a number of very interesting points there. There is a fundamental both challenge and opportunity for the legal services sector across the world in the sorts of things that he describes, both in terms of creating smart contracts, but also, as his question infers, in the ability to research vast amounts of data and law and case law in a way...
Jeremy Miles: The Member will be aware that the First Minister recently launched the Fair Work Commission, which builds on the work of the fair work board, which identified the right to be heard through participation in decision making in the workplace as a key principle. The work of the commission will build on that and will examine more closely the levers we have to deliver fair work in Wales.
Jeremy Miles: I welcome the work of the Wales TUC in regard to this, and the work that they project with the former Counsel General Mick Antoniw. The Welsh Government works in partnership with the Wales TUC routinely in relation to our shared commitment to improve working conditions for the people of Wales, including in relation to access to work. She will have heard the statement that the leader of the...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for that question. The inter-governmental agreement on the EU withdrawal Bill agreed with the UK Government at the end of April provides a sound basis for our future working relationship. The agreement respects established constitutional conventions and, consistent with those, there is a commitment from all parties to seek to proceed by way of agreement.
Jeremy Miles: Well, I take issue with the Member's assumption that this Assembly will not be required to consent to the matters that become the subject of framework discussions between the Governments. As she will know from previous statements that the Welsh Government has made, there are additional extra powers coming to this Assembly as a consequence of the agreement that the Government has reached, and...
Jeremy Miles: This is a matter that my officials have considered. The position is that Welsh Government-owned land is classified as Crown land and, as such, cannot be acquired under compulsory powers by another Crown body without the consent of the Welsh Government.
Jeremy Miles: I try to answer the questions when I can, by the way. The powers available to the UK Government on compulsory purchase emanate from Acts, and there is nothing in the Act that's relevant here—there are no powers that extend to Crown land. But, ultimately, this kind of question arises in the courts frequently, and what's important to bear in mind is that, if there was a proposal for...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for her question. The application of Assembly Acts and Welsh subordinate instruments of the Crown is an issue that forms part of the Government’s consultation on the draft Legislation (Wales) Bill. The consultation is open until 12 June, and I would encourage Members, if they haven't yet, to respond.
Jeremy Miles: It is a matter on which I'm consulting, and it's a matter that I think is worthy for us to pursue. I'd be interested in hearing the views of consultees on the matter. This is a step that was taken, for example, in Scotland in 2010. As the Member rightly says, generally speaking the default position is that an Act does not bind the Crown unless it expressly states that it does. The Crown in...
Jeremy Miles: As the Member knows, I've just answered the question with regard to the consultation on Welsh laws for the future. I look forward to receiving the Member's response to that consultation, which will enable me to respond further to his question.
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for that question and the opportunity to clarify the answer that I gave. The reversal in the legislative presumption, which the consultation sets out, would not affect the situation that I described to Bethan Sayed. The Bill would not change the meaning of the term 'Crown', for example, and it wouldn't have an effect on existing law. Just to reiterate: it reverses the...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. On 7 June, I published a written statement announcing that I had made an application to the Supreme Court for permission to participate in the reference of the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Legal Continuity) (Scotland) Bill. My participation in the proceedings, along with the Attorney-General for Northern Ireland, has been confirmed, which means...
Jeremy Miles: In accordance with the timetable agreed by all the parties to the proceedings, I filed my written case with the Supreme Court on Friday of last week. Let me be clear: the Welsh Government’s participation is not about our own Law Derived from the European Union (Wales) Act 2018. As you know, through the changes to the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and an inter-governmental agreement,...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for that and for his observations. I would just say that I think that this is, as he indicates in his question, a route that is, obviously, laid down in statute for clarifying issues of constitutional law. The reason for the intervention was not really in relation to the specifics of the Scottish Bill. Clearly, that is a matter for the Lord Advocate in Scotland to make the...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for those several comments on a wide range of issues, and the question at the end. I’ll try to ensure that I do refer to the main points that he made. Of course, I accept that it’s the Scottish Parliament’s consent rather than the Scottish Government’s consent that was given. This statement is an opportunity for me to be clear that the Welsh Government is not taking...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for those remarks. I think that the very point of devolution is that different parts of the UK can reach different outcomes and different conclusions about how to approach this sort of question, and that is what happened, ultimately, in this case. The Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament, took a different view ultimately than we did here in Wales, and that is...
Jeremy Miles: Well, the Scottish Government has indicated it wants to participate fully in those common framework discussions in any event, so, in practical terms, that will be available as a mechanism to all parts. Obviously, the withdrawal Act applies to all parts of the UK, to state the obvious. As of where we are today, there is no Act in force in Scotland that cuts across that. Obviously, as we take...
Jeremy Miles: A cross-Government group of officials is tasked with developing a strategic approach to reducing gambling-related harm. The group is currently considering the recommendations in the chief medical officer’s annual report, and will co-ordinate action and identify new activity required, including any calls for further steps required at UK level.
Jeremy Miles: Thank you for that supplementary question. As a Government, we work across portfolio to ensure that we can tackle this problem, which is a health problem and is very widespread. The chief medical officer is leading on much of that work. As, perhaps, the Member will know, a consultation is taking place as regards changes to the planning system, which will propose a change in the categorisation...
