Jeremy Miles: Well, the judgment in the Court of Session in Scotland, which, contrary—[Interruption.]—contrary to the comments of many Conservative backbench Members of Parliament, is actually a superior court to the High Court of England and Wales, found exactly the opposite proposition, which is, in accordance with the submissions we have made, that the decision was unlawful. And he mentions, from a...
Jeremy Miles: Whilst the Member will appreciate I don't disclose advice that I give to the Government, the question of the devolution settlement and how it might be improved in the future remains a live discussion within Government.
Jeremy Miles: Can I first thank the Member for drawing attention to the speech that I gave in the Eisteddfod, which I feel otherwise might have had a slightly more limited audience than she will now have given it? So, I thank her for that. She mentions the efforts of the Secretary of State for Wales to deliver a stable settlement for devolution. I'm afraid I see it slightly differently from her, and I take...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. When this Assembly was recalled two weeks ago, the First Minister outlined the outrageous actions of the Prime Minister in gagging Parliament at a time of national crisis for the country. At the end of that debate, we sent a clear message to the UK Government that we would not stand by while decisions are taken that threaten our democracy. When Parliament...
Jeremy Miles: As the law officer for the Welsh Government, I take my duty to ensure the rule of law is followed very seriously. This is a fundamental principle that all citizens of the UK, and, indeed, citizens of any mature democracy, rely on every single day. Dirprwy Lywydd, we've used strong language in this Chamber in recent weeks, but I make no excuse for calling out the UK Government Ministers when...
Jeremy Miles: I hope the selectors of the Clwyd West Conservative Party found that more informative than the rest of us in this Chamber did. The Member talks about a 'no deal' Brexit with a kind of equanimity that I think most of us on these benches find really very disturbing. He purports to care about the statistics in relation to access to Government-funded services and the contributions that we've made...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for her questions. Can I first associate myself with her comments in relation to the thanks for all those people in public services and, indeed, across society in Wales who are working hard to take steps to prepare Wales for some of the sorts of things we saw described in the Yellowhammer document? She mentioned the Supreme Court case. I will just say to her that I've had...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for that range of questions. I'll deal with them as succinctly as I can. In relation to the question of common frameworks, work continues in relation to those. He will know from exchanges in committee that we've had in the past that we would like there to be faster progress in relation to that, but I think the distraction that we will have faced in planning for 'no deal'...
Jeremy Miles: Okay. For a man so expensively educated, he certainly hasn't learned to do his homework. That last point: it’s a matter of fact that the Court of Session is a senior court, and it is not hearing this judicial review as a first instance, and I would have thought that he would have known that. He claims to know the mind of the business community as though it was of one mind and he has some...
Jeremy Miles: I thank her for that question. In relation to the question of water treatment chemicals—I think she was asking about that—there have been advanced discussions with the water companies and with UK Government in relation to that so that there are contingency plans in place in relation to those that have been tested. She's right, if I may say, to highlight the importance of food supply and...
Jeremy Miles: Formally.
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Llywydd. The motion tabled by the Brexit Party is slightly strange. The Welsh Government can agree with some of it, but disagrees with much else. Let me start with the issues I can agree on, before highlighting the deficiencies of the motion. It supports Wales's membership of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. It calls for further devolution, which is a development to be...
Jeremy Miles: Yes, indeed.
Jeremy Miles: Actually, the TEN-T road routes in Wales have benefited enormously from European funding through ERDF, and, for the road network, we are confident we'll meet the TEN-T standards. But worryingly, if we leave the European Union, the loss of TEN-T would result, we fear, in a substantial decommitment to electrifying the Welsh rail network in the north to Holyhead and in the south to Milford...
Jeremy Miles: Well, the record will show that you just asked for the black route to be built. So, we can perhaps check the record after this debate. Now to the elements of the motion that we can't accept. Firstly, it is inconsistent about devolution. I fail to see how it's possible to call for further devolution and yet support the UK Government's hollow concept of the shared prosperity fund as a way of...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Llywydd. This afternoon, the Welsh Government will bring forward a series of statements that will outline the real threat to Wales of a 'no deal' Brexit. These statements will also cover the mitigation that we will put in place to address this in so far as that is possible. These build on our action plan published on 16 September and ‘A brighter future for Wales’, which we...
Jeremy Miles: We have always been clear that a ‘no deal’ Brexit would be catastrophic for Wales, and we make no apologies for describing it in that way. The statements this afternoon demonstrate the vast array of short-term, negative consequences across all aspects of Welsh life, whilst devastating the economy in the longer term. Before moving on to consider the positive actions that we are taking,...
Jeremy Miles: But despite our vigorous opposition to a political strategy on the part of the UK Government that could lead to a 'no deal', it is our responsibility to work with the UK Government to do all we can to mitigate the catalogue of effects that could result from the UK leaving without a deal. The single biggest determining factor impacting on our ability to put in place preparedness plans is the...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for those points. He talks about the confidence he has in Boris Johnson. I think he used the phrase 'pulling out the stops'—quite remarkable, really. What we've discovered today is a leak that the Government hasn't even yet put a position on the table for the EU Commission to consider, so the notion the Prime Minister has been negotiating for the last few weeks is utterly...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for her questions. She opened her remarks by talking about the impact on the vulnerable of the cumulative effects of a 'no deal' Brexit, and I want to associate myself with her concerns in that respect. I think we have seen, haven't we, as we move closer to a potential departure in the autumn, how great the impact can be on those who are least able to adapt to the risks...
