Steffan Lewis: Thank you, Llywydd. I think we were all getting rather excited that maybe the Member had reached his climax at that point. It certainly looked like that from where I was sitting. [Laughter.] The Member has just said that the UK will be free to trade with the rest of the world. At the moment, I keep hearing Brexiteers on the radio telling me that our biggest trading nation is the United...
Steffan Lewis: Diolch, Llywydd. I only wish that the Cabinet Secretary's rhetoric in his opening remarks were reflected in the motion, because Plaid Cymru had hoped today to be in a position where it could support a Government motion on the withdrawal agreement and the political declaration. But I'm disappointed therefore that the consensus between our two parties from the time of the publication of...
Steffan Lewis: I'd like to take this opportunity to thank organisations such as Gwent Wildlife Trust and Friends of the Earth Cymru for their vocal opposition to the Government's proposed black route M4 around Newport, which, as we all know, will do nothing to alleviate congestion around the city or the wider area. I note that it took the leader of the house a little while to get round to mentioning the...
Steffan Lewis: It's strange, Llywydd, looking back over the last 12 months or so at the journey that the continuity Act has taken since it was first mooted, and, indeed, contrary to Assembly folklore, I was not the first Member of this place to raise the prospect of a continuity Act on the floor of this Chamber. The person now occupying the role of Counsel General for Wales was the first Member—he was...
Steffan Lewis: I thank the First Minister for his answer. I wonder if he can provide his view and analysis on the Northern Ireland backstop in particular and its implications for Wales. As ever with the UK Government, the rhetoric and the reality do not appear to match even when we've got the detail of a 600-page withdrawal agreement. The UK Government is arguing that the Northern Ireland backstop will...
Steffan Lewis: 2. Will the First Minister make a statement on the implications for Wales of the withdrawal agreement between the UK and the EU? OAQ52973
Steffan Lewis: I appreciate, again, that the lack of detail does make things difficult but we do have a clear indication of many aspects and, of course, we are able to use the Welsh Government's own position in 'Securing Wales' Future' and to contrast it and compare it with what we do know from the draft text as things stand. We know Wales will not have full participation in the single market, we know we...
Steffan Lewis: I thank him for that answer. Of course, yet again, it's disappointing that the so-called respect agenda, one that the Cabinet Secretary himself said that he hoped would begin as a result of the agreement between his Government and the UK Government on the withdrawal Bill, and one that would see a shift in attitudes and patters towards discussions with devolved administrations—. And, again,...
Steffan Lewis: Diolch, Llywydd. Last night, of course, it was revealed that the draft text had been agreed between the UK and the EU on the UK separation from the European Union, and the political fallout is well under way. I suspect that I know the answer to the opening question but, for the record, is the Cabinet Secretary able to tell us whether or not the Welsh Government has had sight of the draft...
Steffan Lewis: Of course, we still have questions about the existing arrangements before moving to the so-called shared prosperity fund. The First Minister will be aware of the audit office report on the impact of a 'no deal' separation on structural and regional funding as they stand. At the time of the report's publication in August, it noted that WEFO had exceeded its spending targets in three out of...
Steffan Lewis: Will the First Minister make a statement on economic development in south-east Wales?
Steffan Lewis: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his statement today. Can I say I find it quite amusing—that's probably not the right word—when Conservatives squawk and croak about funding formulas, when Wales has been shafted by the Barnett formula for many, many years with very little protest from the benches opposite? Clearly, there's an agreement between Plaid Cymru and Welsh Government on the...
Steffan Lewis: It has been announced that the public front desk at Caerphilly police station will once again close, meaning that, effectively, Caerphilly town will be left without a police station. That's just a little over a year after it was reopened. The cost of purchasing and refurbishing the station has amounted to £315,000 of public money. And whilst, of course, I accept that policing isn't a...
Steffan Lewis: Is the Cabinet Secretary, therefore, saying that even if the courts find in favour of the Scottish Government, it would be acceptable for one devolved administration to have a legal protective shield and that, somehow, the inter-governmental agreement between his Government and the UK Government renders the need for a continuity Act here needless? Because, surely, recent developments around...
Steffan Lewis: I thank him for putting my mind at rest, at least with the first part of his answer. The second part of his answer, though, does raise questions. Is the Government taking into consideration the Supreme Court case between the UK Government and the Scottish Government on the Scottish continuity legislation? Of course, my argument would be that we shouldn't be repealing our continuity Act under...
Steffan Lewis: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. The regulations repealing the Law Derived from the European Union (Wales) Act 2018 were due to come into force on 3 October. My understanding is that that did not happen because a vote of the Assembly is required. So, in the first instance, can the Cabinet Secretary, putting on his Brexit hat, clarify that the continuity Act wasn't repealed by accident without a...
Steffan Lewis: I'd like to thank the Cabinet Secretary for his statement today. This is the eighth budget, consecutively, that's been made in this place in the face of the austerity policies of the Westminster Government, and it's important that we bear that in mind as we start the scrutiny process. Society and people are suffering greatly because of the totally unnecessary and hard-hearted decisions taken...
Steffan Lewis: I'm still at a loss to understand exactly why the First Minister thinks that a conclusive general election—presumably with the Labour victory that he would want—would help his Government further 'Securing Wales' Future', which I am still assuming is the policy of the Welsh Government. Because if there is a majority Labour Government in any snap general election, we'll be leaving the...
Steffan Lewis: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that answer. Of course, very quickly last week the UK's negotiating position evaporated in Salzburg, and the UK Prime Minister succeeded in uniting the EU-27 leaders in their exasperation. Of course, as the Cabinet Secretary has alluded to, the Prime Minister has made the prospect of a 'no deal' separation more, not less, likely, and we are all aware of the...
Steffan Lewis: 1. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact of the Salzburg summit on Wales? 215
