Jeremy Miles: I think I heard two questions in that contribution. One relates to the actions of this Senedd in relation to voting to withhold consent for the withdrawal agreement Bill. I'll just take the opportunity once again to say, since we seem to be going over some pretty old territory at this point, that the reason this Assembly withheld its consent was because the provisions in the Bill, which the...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you to Dai Lloyd for those questions. While I agree with him that we need to show respect to the devolved Governments, and that respect needs to be shown by the UK Government, we as a Government have always taken every opportunity to make the case for Wales—to stand up for Wales's interest—and to be, to the best of our abilities, constructive in our approach. And that's what our...
Jeremy Miles: I thank Darren Millar for his questions and for the constructive way in which he has put them. I think in relation both to secondary legislation and the discussion around common frameworks—both of which he touched on, obviously, in his question—those have been, probably of all the areas of engagement, the ones where relationships have been most productive, and we have always sought as a...
Jeremy Miles: Perhaps the principal one is that we have concerns as to whether providing Welsh Ministers with wide powers to keep pace with all EU legislation within devolved competence through a portmanteau Bill would be acceptable to this Senedd. It would not be consistent with the views expressed by Members in the past therefore the bar for proposing such an approach would be set high. There are also...
Jeremy Miles: Diolch, Llywydd. I thought it would be helpful to update Members on both recent developments and prospects in relation to legislation arising from our exit from the European Union. I'll firstly consider the matter of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 and the implications for the Sewel convention. Members will recall that, on the twenty-first of last month, the Senedd...
Jeremy Miles: I think it's perfectly reasonable to expect that, just as the current system entitles people who have qualified in English to practice in Wales, including in Welsh, with Welsh clients. I'm meeting further with Welsh law firms and the Law Society in the coming weeks to discuss how we can build further the capacity of the legal sector in Wales, and am already in discussions with the bar in...
Jeremy Miles: Yes, indeed.
Jeremy Miles: I would indeed agree with that proposition. We support strongly the devolution of family justice, because it enables better alignment with our priorities here as a Government, including early intervention and ensuring that the voice of the child is better heard in some of those proceedings as well. That is one of a range of areas where the commission's work speaks to the need to integrate...
Jeremy Miles: Yes.
Jeremy Miles: As Members of the Senedd, it's our responsibility to represent the interests of Wales and its people, and we are all working in our own ways to deliver that responsibility. And, generally speaking, I think everyone here, in our own way, wants to see a more just Wales. Many Members have made reference during the debate to comments made by UK Government Ministers, who seemed to dismiss the...
Jeremy Miles: Justice, as the commission has said, should be at the heart of Government. And the commission's conclusions are unequivocal. Justice should be determined and delivered in Wales, to align with Wales's distinct and developing social, health and education policies. It currently is not, because justice, generally, is reserved. I agree with the commission that the current devolution settlement is...
Jeremy Miles: Diolch, Llywydd. In closing this debate, can I echo the First Minister's thanks to Lord Thomas and the commissioners for a substantial piece of work, which demonstrates robustness, expertise and independence, which most Members in their contributions have acknowledged? And I regret to say that I'm not able to say that all Members did so.
Jeremy Miles: Therefore, Deputy Presiding Officer, what do we want? I'd like to emphasise two things. Firstly, we want a meaningful role in the negotiations on the future relationship with the EU, and indeed in the negotiations on other free trade agreements that could have an impact on devolved competence. This should reflect the 'not normally' principle of Sewel. That is, when a devolved competence is at...
Jeremy Miles: Dirprwy Lywydd, I am delighted to see that a healthy sense of irony is alive and well on the Conservative benches. Week in, week out, month in, month out, as I and colleagues here on the Government benches have presented statements on Brexit or debates on Brexit, Darren Millar has berated me across the Chamber, saying, 'What's new? What's new?' And yet, today, I look at the order paper and I...
Jeremy Miles: Formally.
Jeremy Miles: Well, I would identify with the comments that the Member for Bridgend has made. I think what has struck a chord with me in this whole discussion and the discussion of the committee is the importance of language and rhetoric. And throughout the last three and a half years, I've been shocked by some of the occasionally thoughtless language that politicians have used, particularly in relation to...
Jeremy Miles: Well, certainly, that sort of issue is the kind of issue that, in the number of round-tables we've had with businesses large and small across Wales, those kinds of concerns are very near the top of their list. In particular, as the Member says, in relation to the impact of costs on smaller businesses. In concluding, can I just stress that migration isn't just about abstract notions of...
Jeremy Miles: Yes, certianly.
Jeremy Miles: We also know that there will be some sectors that emerge as being particularly vulnerable to future reductions in EU migration. These include, of course, social care, health and manufacturing, including agri-food, tourism, hospitality, retail and higher education. The impact will be particularly stark for the food manufacturing sector in Wales, where over 80 per cent of employees earn less...
Jeremy Miles: We have used evidence to back up our challenges to the UK Government about the nature of their proposals, particularly the current proposal for a selective approach to future immigration based on skills and salary with the potential threshold of £30,000 that many Members have referred to. The report that we commissioned the Welsh Centre for Public Policy to undertake last year on the impact...
