Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Llywydd. May I begin by welcoming the report and the vast amount of evidence that was gathered during the inquiry? I’d also like to thank everyone for their contributions.
Jeremy Miles: Most contributions, at any rate, were thoughtful and constructive.
Jeremy Miles: Before I turn to the substance of the report and the three issues in it, namely the proposal for the future immigration system, the settlement scheme for EU citizens and the arguments over differences in migration methods between areas of the UK after Brexit, may I take this opportunity to speak directly with those citizens from other parts of Europe who have chosen to settle here in Wales,...
Jeremy Miles: Can I first take the opportunity that the Member's question presents to say that I welcome very much the restoration of power sharing in Northern Ireland and look forward very much to working with the Northern Ireland Executive? I will, if I may, take this opportunity to pay tribute to the work of the Northern Ireland civil service who, in difficult circumstances, have represented Northern...
Jeremy Miles: I recently met with senior UK Ministers and had constructive discussions on our shared commitment to the union. But March will be two years since the inter-governmental relations review began, and June will be three years since our 'Brexit and Devolution' paper. We need to make urgent progress on reform.
Jeremy Miles: This is a very important matter that the Member has raised today in the Chamber. I obviously echo the point that the First Minister made last week in relation to this important issue. What is extraordinary to me is that the previous legislation itself did actually contain a duty on the part of the UK Government to negotiate the continuation of the Dublin III arrangements—the refugee family...
Jeremy Miles: Welsh Government legislation that requires Ministers to give due regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child when developing or reviewing policies or legislation will apply after Brexit, and the Welsh Government will continue to promote children's rights in our discussions with the UK Government on the future relationship with the European Union.
Jeremy Miles: I thank Helen Mary Jones for that further question. I think one of the points that is evident from her question is the level of integration in the car manufacturing sector through different parts of the UK. Impacts in one part of the UK can very significantly impact companies in the supply chain that may be in other component nations of the UK. I think this just goes to the heart of the need...
Jeremy Miles: We are in regular dialogue with companies in the sector, with the Welsh Automotive Forum, and with national sector bodies regarding the potential impact of Brexit. Having an ongoing and frictionless trading relationship with the EU is very important for the automotive sector, and indeed for other sectors.
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for that important supplementary question. I know that he will share my dismay that the withdrawal agreement Bill no longer contains the protection on EU-derived workers' rights that was in the previous Bill, without any rational or reasonable case being made for that change. In the context of a UK Government seeking to press ahead with a radical deregulatory agenda, I know...
Jeremy Miles: The Commission on Justice in Wales found that proper access to justice is not available in Wales, and that it can only seriously be addressed by transferring authority for justice to Wales. Brexit will diminish access to justice further, for example by denying the people of Wales access to the Court of Justice of the European Union and recourse to the EU's charter of fundamental rights.
Jeremy Miles: Well, I'm not sure if the Member heard the exchanges to the previous questions about the challenges that EU citizens already living in Wales are facing as a consequence of the migration policies of the UK Government. I suggest that he reads the record of the exchange that we had in relation to that. I would be very interested in his views on an immigration system where the salary levels are...
Jeremy Miles: Well, it isn't clear to me the extent the Member was paying attention to what we've been saying over the last few weeks in relation to relations with the new UK Government. I'll remind him, since he invites me to do that, in effect. What we have said, as we have always said, is that the UK Government will find us a co-operative Government, seeking to work in the best interests of Wales, but...
Jeremy Miles: Well, the Member opposite will be aware that earlier this week we published our view of the kind of relationship that Wales and the UK should have with the European Union, recognising that the Prime Minister has won a mandate in the recent general election and will begin those negotiations from the perspective of a free trade agreement. Our view is that a free trade agreement, as contemplated...
Jeremy Miles: Well, I think yesterday was an important constitutional moment because all three devolved legislatures have now expressed their clear opinion in relation to the withdrawal agreement Bill. The debate that we had in this Chamber yesterday I felt set out very clearly the case for defending the constitutional rights of this establishment and the Welsh Government, and those of us who voted against...
Jeremy Miles: I'm going to resist the temptation to extend that particular metaphor. But I think what I will say to the Member is, yes, it is the case that I'll be hosting the JMC(EN) here in Cardiff next week. At the last JMC(EN), I took the opportunity, as I have, and as other Ministers have, over many, many months, of making clear our position about what we think is the appropriate role for the Welsh...
Jeremy Miles: I thank Dai Lloyd for that question and I welcome him to his new role. I have spoken briefly with the Secretary of State in relation to another matter in the context of a larger meeting, but not specifically about that point. We still await, as I mentioned in my earlier question, details in relation to the acknowledgment, effectively, that those funds are the subject of devolved powers. It's...
Jeremy Miles: We will continue with the work we have been doing. We've been funding various advice services and a communication campaign. We've also been pressing the UK Government in relation to the availability of digital scanning centres in Wales. The Member may be aware that, at the start, there was only one. We're looking at about seven, I think, at the moment, and are also pressing for an expansion...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for highlighting that very serious concern that a number of people have, and that I've had expressed to me directly as well—more or less in the terms in which the Member described them today. We have between 70,000 and 80,000 citizens living in Wales who were born in other parts of the EU, outside the UK, and we want them to stay in Wales and to continue making the full...
Jeremy Miles: I have regular discussions with the UK Government, and with Welsh stakeholders, about the number of EU citizens who have applied for the EU settlement scheme in Wales, as do my officials. We as a Government have put in place a broad range of services to support EU nationals with their application, and continue to press the UK Government to provide further support to EU citizens here in Wales.
