Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Llywydd. And, here we are again today, with a baseless argument—that what Wales needs now, amid a number of global crises, is less democratic accountability, and that we should abolish this Parliament and any concept of modern Wales. We are part, of course, of a union—a voluntary union—of four nations, but the coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated, in particular, that this...
Jeremy Miles: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, and can I thank Members for their contributions to the debate? I think many of the contributions were important contributions to the reflections of this Chamber on some of the challenges that are inherent in the consent process when trying to marry the parliamentary timetable in Westminster with the needs of our Senedd here in Wales. I hope I can address some of those...
Jeremy Miles: Eluned Morgan, on behalf of the Welsh Government, laid an LCM on 2 April 2020 in relation to the following provisions in Part 1 of the Bill. Clause 1 confers powers on UK Ministers in devolved authorities, including Welsh Ministers, to implement the provisions of the agreement on Government procurement, to reflect the fact that the UK is now an independent party to this WTO agreement,...
Jeremy Miles: This version of the Bill was first introduced in the House of Commons in March 2020 and has a lot of similarity to the previous version of the Bill that fell in the last Parliament—the Trade Bill in 2017-19. The 2019-20 Bill recently completed Report Stage in the House of Lords on 6 January, and the current version of the Bill contains amendments made during the Lords' as well as the...
Jeremy Miles: Formally.
Jeremy Miles: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I move the motion. I'm pleased to introduce this legislative consent motion and the supplementary legislative consent motion related to the UK Government's Trade Bill.
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for that supplementary, and she is of course absolutely right to say that this accommodation is inappropriate for the purpose to which it's being put. That is the position of the Welsh Government and we've obviously acted on that basis and made representations in that way to the UK Government. As I mentioned to her, in relation to the underpinning legal infrastructure and...
Jeremy Miles: Decisions relating to the asylum system are reserved and so are beyond our direct control. However, given the impact of the decision to utilise Penally on community cohesion and public services, we should have been fully consulted, and we are still unclear about the legal basis under which this development was initiated by the UK Government.
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for that supplementary. I will make sure that the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip has heard that, because the substantive matter is obviously within her portfolio. But in relation to the proceedings insofar as they relate to the ombudsman itself, my understanding is that the investigation relates to a sample of six complaints about DWP communications. They have been on hold,...
Jeremy Miles: Absolutely. The Deputy Minister and Chief Whip last wrote to the UK Government in November. Their response defends the position to increase state pension age and highlights the judgments from the legal challenge in the High Court and the Court of Appeal, which supported the actions of the Department for Work and Pensions. But the Government continues to make the case on behalf of the women...
Jeremy Miles: Well, I'm glad to give the assurance that the Member seeks. The most recent example of that is, of course, the internal market Act itself and the steps that we have outlined as a Government that we will take in all the options available to us to protect the competence of the Senedd. In relation to the broader point that the Member asks about, representing Wales's interests in the world...
Jeremy Miles: Well, can I firstly acknowledge gratefully the support that the Member has given to the Welsh Government in our intention to stand up for the Senedd? I'm mindful of the fact that, I think, very early after I made my statement that we planned to do that, the Member was very supportive. So, I'd like to acknowledge that if I may. There are two or three aspects to the Member's question....
Jeremy Miles: Well, from the very outset, I made it clear that the Government here would take all possible steps to safeguard the powers of the Senedd. We have done that in terms of our strategy of tabling amendments in Westminster working with the House of Lords. We've done so in terms of recommending the rejection of legislative consent, as, of course, happened. And the third element of that strategy is...
Jeremy Miles: The Welsh Government wrote to the Secretary of State on 16 December 2020 indicating our intention to challenge the Bill, as it was at that point. We have received a response to that letter in the past few days, and we are considering the content of that letter at the moment. The Welsh Government will take all possible steps to protect the Senedd from this outrageous attack on its powers in...
Jeremy Miles: We have had discussions with the Ministry of Justice in relation to appropriate court facilities across Wales for the purposes that the Member has referred to today. There has been a magistrates' court recovery programme, on which the Ministry of Justice position is that that is largely work in terms of building back capacity in all parts of Wales, including in north Wales. And in the Crown...
Jeremy Miles: Listing in all north Wales magistrates' courts is now at pre-COVID levels, and all Crown courtrooms in north Wales have been made safe for jury trials. We're seeking assurance from Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service that the existing measures are suitable for the current transmissibility of the virus. Providers delivering advice services via the Welsh Government single advice fund...
Jeremy Miles: Dirprwy Lywydd, I think the leader of the opposition may have read the UK Government's sales pitch summary rather than, as Alun Davies said, the agreement itself. Paul Davies refers to this as a free trade deal, but this deal means that, from 1 January, Welsh exporters will face trade with our largest partner that is significantly less free, with entirely new barriers to trade, and, on top of...
Jeremy Miles: Deputy Presiding Officer, may I start by acknowledging the sense of relief that a deal now exists, despite its inadequacies? As compared to the other option of leaving the transition period with no deal, it's certain that this option is a better one. But the reality, Llywydd, is that Governments across the UK have spent four and a half years and huge sums of money and political capital to...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Llywydd, and thank you to those who've contributed to the debate. May I just say that I am aware of the discussion on that kind of assurance, but we have been able to assure ourselves that the pledges made are meaningful in this context? May I just confirm that the assurances provided in the context of the equality issues in the earlier Bill have been repeated in Parliament in the...
Jeremy Miles: I move.
