Rhys ab Owen: It was good to see pupils from Ysgol Mynydd Bychan in the gallery today, and Heledd Fychan and I took a number of challenging questions from them, including which party we would join other than Plaid Cymru. I can clearly say that the answer was not the Tories. But, Trefnydd, could I be so bold as to ask for three statements today? First of all, because it is Youth Parliament Week, could the...
Rhys ab Owen: Trefnydd, could I also ask for a statement regarding the issue of building safety in high rises? Does the Welsh Government agree with Plaid Cymru that innocent leaseholders should not pay for defective work by developers? And Trefnydd, could we also have a written statement about the mental health impact this has on leaseholders? I've met many now, and the strain is obvious on their faces....
Rhys ab Owen: What discussions has the Welsh Government had on improving electoral arrangements to make it easier for people to participate in local government elections?
Rhys ab Owen: Thank you very much, temporary Presiding Officer. Counsel General, I welcome this statement greatly. I also welcome the talk about the laws of Hywel Dda at the outset of your statement. It's important that we destroy the myth here in the Senedd that we don't have a rich history and heritage of laws in Wales. According to the yardstick of the age, the laws of Hywel Dda had much greater status...
Rhys ab Owen: This announcement, however, does not clarify a lot of the issues, including laws that apply only to England yet form the law of England and Wales. It's very difficult to identify whether the laws passed by the UK Parliament apply to England, apply to England and Wales, or Wales alone. For example, Acts passed by the UK Parliament that only apply to England do not include the word 'England' in...
Rhys ab Owen: It complicates the situation further that the laws that are made in this Senedd, and laws made in Westminster, extend to Wales and England, even though the laws only relate to England perhaps. They're part of the same legal system even though perhaps they only apply to Wales or perhaps they only apply to England. Isn't the obvious answer to this complex problem to create a Welsh law when the...
Rhys ab Owen: And if the situation isn't difficult, isn't complicated enough, aren't you as Welsh Government adding to the complexity and breaching your duty under the Legislation (Wales) Act 2019 by consenting so often to the Westminster Government passing legislation within devolved areas? Laws passed by the Westminster Government within devolved areas will not be bilingual, cannot form part of your...
Rhys ab Owen: As you've said several times, Counsel General, Welsh sovereignty is not in the hands of men like Hywel Dda, but rather it's in the hands of the people of Wales here. Having said that, the spirit of Hywel Dda and the spirit of Iorwerth ap Madog are to be heard in the Senedd today. I welcome that and I greatly hope that the Welsh Government will continue in that spirit, and develop and protect...
Rhys ab Owen: 5. What discussions has the Minister held with the police and crime commissioners, the police, and criminal justice agencies about racism in the justice system? OQ56864
Rhys ab Owen: Diolch yn fawr, Gweinidog. I want to mention three reports that you'll be well versed with in my suppementary question. Firstly, the report by Dr Robert Jones of the Wales Governance Centre. In that report it says that in 2017, the level of racial disproportionality in the prison population was higher amongst Welsh prisoners than English prisoners. Shamefully, we here in Wales have the...
Rhys ab Owen: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. As you know, Counsel General, when the UK Government introduces a Bill in Westminster that is within the devolved powers of the Senedd, the Welsh Government need to lay down a legislative consent memorandum. In the whole of the fourth Senedd, only eight Bills were within the devolved areas. Already, in this sixth Senedd, we are up to 13. Now, I am glad that the Welsh...
Rhys ab Owen: I’m glad to hear some positivity in your answer, Counsel General. That makes me wonder what evidence those on that side of the Chamber need to see before they realise that No. 10 is undermining our devolution settlement.
Rhys ab Owen: I want to move on now to the boundary commission and their announcement on reducing the number of Welsh seats to 32. It's clear to everyone what's happening here—it's the same as what happened with the elections Bill, where ID will be needed. The Conservatives are once again trying to strengthen their hold on Westminster and undermine the Welsh voice. Does the Welsh Government intend to...
Rhys ab Owen: Thank you, Counsel General.
Rhys ab Owen: My final question is similar to that of Mark Isherwood, but, of course, from a different perspective, as you probably won't be surprised. It's about the newly named levelling-up department, under the leadership of Michael Gove, probably a hero of some people over there. Now, they're in charge of distributing the levelling-up fund and, as has been mentioned, it appears that the fund will...
Rhys ab Owen: Let me just get it up.
Rhys ab Owen: I apologise.
Rhys ab Owen: I was getting so excited with the—[Interruption.]
Rhys ab Owen: No, I've got it here, Llywydd. Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd.
Rhys ab Owen: 3. What discussions has the Counsel General had with law officers regarding the recent findings of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report, 'Women's State Pension Age: Our Findings on the Department for Work and Pensions' Communication of Changes'? OQ56875
