Jeremy Miles: Well, I'm not sure what articles the Member is referring to, but I would say that I have consistently tried to engage constructively with the UK Government in relation to each of our engagements in relation to the departure from the European Union and the proposed planned departure from the transition period. It has been the top priority of this Government to make sure that, notwithstanding...
Jeremy Miles: I take every opportunity to stand up for Wales, despite the lack of meaningful engagement from the UK Government. I have attended several meetings with the Paymaster General and a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee (EU Negotiations) on 21 May, and a further committee meeting is scheduled for tomorrow.
Jeremy Miles: I thank Alun Davies for the question. There have been aspects of progress; I want to reassure him in relation to that. So, the Civil Procedure Rule Committee have recently agreed to make it compulsory, for example, for cases against Welsh public bodies to be heard in Wales, where there was challenge to the lawfulness of their decisions. And I was also very pleased to see that the Solicitors...
Jeremy Miles: Well, responding to the coronavirus pandemic has, I'm afraid, inevitably affected the pace of work to implement the Thomas commission recommendations. We nevertheless continue to make progress, pursuing those recommendations within our areas of responsibility and continuing to make the case for change to the UK Government, which has committed to discussions both at ministerial and official level.
Jeremy Miles: Well, I thank Helen Mary Jones for that further question, and, if I may say, for the constructive way in which she's engaged throughout on this question, as have other Members as well, of course. The case that she invites me to make is the case that we have been making as a Government to UK Government Ministers. I think I'm right in saying that the last letter that we wrote advocating this...
Jeremy Miles: The Welsh Government has repeatedly expressed concerns to the UK Government about women who've had their state pension age raised without effective or without sufficient notification. The matter will be considered by the Court of Appeal in July, and I'll carefully consider the judgment of the Court of Appeal when it's handed down.
Jeremy Miles: I thank Janet Finch-Saunders for that supplementary. The first, rather obvious, point to make is that the 5-mile rule is not, in the way that she describes it, a rule. I just want to make it clear that it is a rule of thumb and guidance; I've somewhat lost track of the number of times that point has been made in the Siambr, but happy to make it again for the record, in case there's any...
Jeremy Miles: The Welsh Government takes its obligations under human rights legislation very seriously. It's clear that there are positive obligations to act, as well as an obligation not to interfere with human rights without clear justification. European Convention on Human Rights implications continue to form part of the Government's considerations in the context of our response to COVID-19.
Jeremy Miles: I thank Siân Gwenllian for that question, and, in that question, you highlight one of the very important elements in the COVID context— there's an economic element, there's a health impact, of course, and there's a broader social impact too, but the arts, as you describe, have a very important role in bringing us through this period. The sector has suffered a substantial detrimental effect...
Jeremy Miles: The Welsh Government have made a number of regulations in response to the pandemic pursuant to the Coronavirus Act 2020 and Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984. All of this legislation has been made following detailed consideration of policy, legal and appropriate scientific and expert public health advice to enable us to respond to these extraordinary circumstances that we faced in Wales.
Jeremy Miles: Well, with all due respect, those aren't the two options. The choice is that we have a form of a union where the voice and the views of the people of Wales, through the Senedd, are reflected appropriately in the relationship and the inter-governmental system. We're not saying that the current situation can't be improved—quite the contrary. We're not defending the status quo, but making a...
Jeremy Miles: I thank Huw Irranca-Davies for that question. Whether it's in 'Brexit and Devolution' or more latterly in 'Reforming our Union', we as a Government have sought consistently to be constructive advocates for a series of reforms for a better functioning union that gives full voice to the democratic legitimacy of the Senedd and the Welsh Government here in Wales, and establishes...
Jeremy Miles: I make frequent representations on behalf of the Welsh Government on inter-governmental relations and the structures required to support co-operation and co-ordination among UK Governments. Effective inter-governmental working has never been more important as we deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and as we approach, at the same time, the end of the European transition period.
Jeremy Miles: I thank Janet Finch-Saunders for that supplementary question, some of which takes me into areas that are the responsibility of the Minister for health, principally, so I'll make sure that he is aware of the question that she has asked. In relation to the question on convention rights, of course, that is a question that remains continuously in the forefront of our reflections as a Government....
Jeremy Miles: Children's access to mental health support is a key priority in the Government's 'Together for Mental Health' delivery plan, and particularly so during COVID-19. In addition to pre-existing children's mental health services, in response to COVID, we've given additional funding for online mental health toolkits via Hwb and advice-line services for children.
Jeremy Miles: I thank Lynne Neagle for that question. I can give her that assurance, that those priorities and principles remain fundamental to our approach. I know that Julie Morgan wrote to Lynne Neagle in her capacity as the Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee earlier last month, and described the work in relation to education and childcare settings around impact assessments to...
Jeremy Miles: I thank Jenny Rathbone for that question. The decision to increase operations in schools from 29 June was guided, really, by an approach based on equality of access. All learners have a right to education and to be supported in that learning, as is clear from the question that she puts to me, and the phased approach aims to mitigate the adverse impact on learners caused by COVID-19. As a...
Jeremy Miles: Well, I couldn't agree more with the Member than in her point acknowledging the disproportionate impact on certain groups in our community of COVID. She identified a number of communities that have been particularly adversely affected. And I just want to associate myself with the point that the First Minister made in answers to his questions earlier, which is to say that our focus very much...
Jeremy Miles: The Welsh Government is committed to upholding human rights, a responsibility that it takes very seriously. The COVID crisis has not diminished that commitment. Those rights are as important now as at any time in the past. The Welsh Government continues to ensure the protection of those rights throughout the management of the COVID-19 crisis.
Jeremy Miles: Llywydd, we are still, in many ways, in the early stages of this outbreak. Until we have effective therapies and, in time, we hope, an effective vaccine, our focus must be on dealing with the coronavirus as a public health emergency. The motion notes that the point for any inquiry is not now, and people who would give evidence to an inquiry are entirely focused on handling the current...
