Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Llywydd. Could I acknowledge, before starting the statement, the questions from Members on this extremely important subject?
Jeremy Miles: The Law Derived from the European Union (Wales) Bill was passed by the Assembly on 21 March. We have been clear, prior to introduction of the Bill, during its passage and subsequently, that the Bill is a fall-back option. Our preference has been throughout, and it continues to be, an amended European Union (Withdrawal) Bill that respects devolution. We made it clear that, even following the...
Jeremy Miles: This Bill is not, of course, a Government Bill. It has been introduced to the Assembly by the Finance Committee, and the recommendations produced by the two committees will be for the Member in charge of the Bill to take forward. However, I would like to take this opportunity to set out the Government's position, particularly in light of the evidence taken by the Equality, Local Government...
Jeremy Miles: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Can I begin my contribution to the debate by putting on record that the Welsh Government recognises and appreciates the important service the ombudsman provides in Wales? The ombudsman's office provides a means to help those people who have not received the level of service from the public sector that they have a right to expect. We therefore look positively on...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for his questions. Just in turn, he mentioned the changes to the corpus of law and the amendments that might come as part of the consolidation. It's very important to underline the fact that a consolidation exercise is not about law reform, and, in the discussions we've had with the Assembly Commission about the procedural requirements that a consolidation exercise brings...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you for those questions, which touch on several different areas. The first question about the relationship between this and the work of the commission—one of the things that the commission looked at was that question of accessibility to the justice system in general, and that was in a wide-ranging way. As I said in my comments, I think it’s vital in a context where we’re losing...
Jeremy Miles: Can I thank the Member for a range of incredibly perceptive questions and for the attention that he has paid to the consultation, which I greatly value? There are a number of questions in his contribution. I hope I'll do justice to them. Underlying the points that he makes more generally, I suppose, is the idea that there's no time to lose, if you like. There is a body of law. We are a...
Jeremy Miles: I hope, then, that you will welcome this important milestone in the development of devolved government in Wales. The draft Bill is intended—designed—to help make Welsh law fit for the future and will, I’m sure, become a foundation stone for the emerging Welsh legal jurisdiction. It is a draft Bill both of constitutional significance and practical importance to the people of Wales. I...
Jeremy Miles: To date, Wales has not had its own Interpretation Act. Rather, we rely on legislation enacted by the UK Parliament in 1978, and later modified in an attempt to take the existence of Welsh legislation into account. In light of our rapidly developing body of Welsh legislation, I believe it is now time to correct that anomaly and to develop our own specific provisions for Wales. I believe,...
Jeremy Miles: But this is first and foremost a question of social justice. Making the law accessible is vital to enable citizens to understand their rights and responsibilities under the law—something that has become increasingly important since repeated cuts have been made to legal aid and to other services designed to advise those in need of assistance or representation. We are the custodians of the...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you. A little over a year ago, my predecessor as Counsel General announced that the Government was beginning a groundbreaking process to create codes of Welsh law. This was the start of a long journey, and it is with great pleasure that I can now announce plans to embark upon an ambitious new leg to that journey. Today, I am launching a public consultation on the draft Legislation...
Jeremy Miles: Absolutely. The point of the economic contract, as the Cabinet Secretary himself has said on many occasions, is to ensure that the investment that the Welsh Government makes achieves the social purpose that the Government wants to see, and it's central in that sense to the economic action plan. It will require more of businesses, and it will also require changes in behaviour on the part of...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for her question. I've had initial discussions with the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport and will continue to engage as we develop and implement this flagship policy.
Jeremy Miles: Thank you for that question. It does indeed. It's an essential part of the toolkit that we have in Wales and the UK to protect human rights. The Welsh Government has been absolutely clear that it does not wish the UK withdrawal from the EU in any way to lead to a dilution in human rights protections, including the extended protections that are available under the charter, which Jane...
Jeremy Miles: The challenge in relation to what's proposed by the UK Government in relation to Ireland is the difficulty of envisaging the sort of specific solutions that they can in fact bring forward to ensure a soft border while maintaining separate customs and regulatory regimes in Northern Ireland to the EU. From our perspective, the most rational outcome would be for the whole of the UK to...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for that question, which is absolutely crucial and refers back to the point that I just made about the absolute necessity of getting certainty, both for Welsh citizens and for businesses exporting to the rest of the EU. One of the most significant unknowns at the moment is the nature of the arrangements for implementing the withdrawal agreement. Dominic Grieve in the House...
Jeremy Miles: We are studying the EU’s draft document carefully. Our priorities for transition are certainty, clarity and minimum disruption. It's essential that the transition period is agreed at the March council because the current uncertainty prevents proper planning, and that is unhelpful to say the least.
Jeremy Miles: The Member's position on this is very clear and he repeats it at every possible opportunity. We have a fundamentally different view of what the nature is of being a citizen living in the EU in the twenty-first century. In common I think with most Members of this Chamber, I regard it as important that Welsh citizens, UK citizens, are able to move freely and are able to settle freely as far as...
Jeremy Miles: We value the freedoms and access that come with EU citizenship. Our future prosperity is intrinsically linked with our ability to secure full and unfettered single market access, including Welsh citizens’ ability to work in Europe.
Jeremy Miles: I think he's partly referring to the report commissioned by Jill Evans in this area, which I've had the opportunity of reading part of and there are many creative arguments in there for the continuation of European citizenship. When I was a member of the Brexit committee, the External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee, we visited the European Parliament and met with Guy...
