Mick Antoniw: Well, listen, thank you for those comments, and perhaps taking from the end part that you raised, of course there were framework discussions, so the internal market Act was never necessary. The whole objective of the frameworks was, basically, a co-operative agreement on it, and it's the internal market Act that drove a coach and horses through those fundamental principles. There has been...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for the question. In terms of the issues around the criminal offence and the power for civil sanctions, well, of course, a criminal offence is where someone has created an offence and you are basically penalising or prosecuting them for breaching the law. Civil sanctions give you an additional power, in the sense that if you know something is happening or something is proposed to be...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for those questions, and perhaps just one statistic to put in to add to those: of course, within Wales alone, in one year—or, I think, in the last two years—there have been produced an estimated 100 million plastic cup lids. So, that’s an indication, I think, of the scale. And of course you referred to the pollution of the seas, and of course that’s why our concern about the...
Mick Antoniw: Can I firstly thank the Member for the earlier comments? The point I think I do agree with is that the issue of single-use plastic, the contamination of our environment, the need to tackle that challenge, is a global one, but it's one where we have to do what we can within Wales in terms of our own responsibilities, and that that, in general, is a cross-party issue; it's not an issue that...
Mick Antoniw: People and businesses in Wales are already making changes. As a Government, we are committed to supporting them, building on their enthusiasm for change. People are demanding that this Government and their Senedd builds on their efforts, and that is what this Bill does today. It sends a clear message to everyone living and working in Wales. It will encourage more of us to change our habits...
Mick Antoniw: Plastic products have supported technological development in areas like healthcare, workplace safety and energy efficiency. Yet, these benefits have come with a growing environmental cost that is not sustainable. As part of developing a more responsible approach to using plastics, the first step must be eliminating its unnecessary use, particularly for items designed for single use. Most...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Today, the Minister for Climate Change laid the Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Bill together with the explanatory memorandum before the Senedd. I am making this address, as she cannot be here herself. Plastic waste is pervasive, persistent and polluting, and it is urgent that we take steps to prevent the flow of plastic...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Dirprwy Llywdd. I'd like to thank the Member for bringing the debate forward today on votes at 16.
Mick Antoniw: Giving our young people the tools to realise what it means to become ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world is a fundamental part of civic education. It involves teaching about democracy, our society and how we can all take part, and it's also about empowerment and emancipation. I'm a firm supporter of enabling our young people to become active participants within the democratic...
Mick Antoniw: I've made the point many times how important access to the law is, because it fundamentally is about the rights of individuals and communities; it's about the empowerment of those two as well. Of course, I have always, I think, praised those elements of the legal profession—within the bar, within solicitors, and those who are paralegals working in Citizens Advice—who actually work in that...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for the question. It's a very practical question, and it's an important one. We have highlighted in our 'Delivering Justice for Wales' publication in May some of the measures that we're taking to support the legal sector. For example, through Business Wales we are delivering targeted support to legal practices to help them become, I think, more resilient, to innovate and grow. In...
Mick Antoniw: The answer is that we certainly will. In fact, myself and the Minister for Social Justice attended a number of meetings with civic organisations that were very, very concerned about the implications of the bill of rights and the direction it was taking. We attended a meeting more recently on that, and there are further meetings that are due to take place. In terms of the consultation...
Mick Antoniw: We have sought meaningful engagement since the UK Government launched their consultation in December. The Minister for Social Justice and I met with the Deputy Prime Minister in February. Despite our full response to the consultation, there is very little sign that those concerns have been addressed.
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for those strongly made points. Can I start by saying I think there are those within the Conservative Party, and I believe possibly even within the Welsh Conservative Party, who are supporters of trade unions and the role they play, who do support pragmatic and practical engagement? There are those who still retain some belief in the concept of one-nation conservatism, and that has...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for your question. The UK Government’s purported intention to introduce legislation in one legislature to override the legislation passed by another is not only unconstitutional but shows disrespect for the democratically elected Senedd. It is one more example of contempt for the devolution settlement and the rights of the people of Wales.
Mick Antoniw: I thank you for those supplementary points, and, of course, at every opportunity we do actually raise these issues, and we have made them at the inter-ministerial meetings as well. The point you raise, in fact, about the various legislation that's been passed, of course, has been something we've discussed on a number of occasions. You'll recall, of course, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and...
Mick Antoniw: The UK Government regularly fails to consult adequately with us before introducing new legislation, the Bill of Rights Bill being the most recent example. We have not yet undertaken a specific assessment of the cumulative impacts of these latest examples of how the UK Government is restricting access to justice and undermining the rule of law.
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for that, and thank you for your support. Just to make two comments that follow on from some of the things you say, of course, within the Bill of Rights Bill proposed, it excludes section 3 of the Human Rights Act, which requires courts to interpret domestic legislation compatibly with convention rights, and it also has no replacement for section 2 of the Human Rights Act, which...
Mick Antoniw: Firstly, I thank you for the comments and the very constructive points that have been made, and there is, of course, a lot of consideration being given to the issue of a bill of rights and, of course, my colleague the Minister for Social Justice has commented on that already. I made the point also in earlier questions, of course, that the Bill, as it's drafted, actually is about transferring...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, again, very much for that question. The Welsh Government did not see the Bill before it was introduced. It requires, and is now receiving, careful consideration. We certainly continue to hold fundamental concerns about its potential regressive impact on human rights in the UK and on our positive agenda in Wales.
