Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Llywydd. At the end of April, I made a statement welcoming the decision of the extraordinary meeting of the European Council to agree to an extension to the article 50 deadline. Like many, I was relieved that the decision had averted, at that moment, at least, the prospect of a chaotic 'no deal' Brexit. But I was also very clear that, however welcome the article 50 extension was,...
Jeremy Miles: Well, I'm happy to give the Member that reassurance. This is very much a live discussion within Government. As I mentioned, the socioeconomic duty in section 1 of the equality Act, together with the work of the gender equality review, under the leadership of Dr Alison Parken, and the existence, obviously, of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, provide the landscape within...
Jeremy Miles: A stakeholder group has been established to consider how best to weave new legislation into the distinctly Welsh legal tapestry of human rights protection. As, for example, the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 and our commitment to commence the socioeconomic duty in the Equalities Act 2010 show, this Government continues to bring rights home.
Jeremy Miles: Well, can I thank the Member for that important supplementary question? This is a really vital matter and I'm pleased the UK Government has committed to launching a review of how children are dealt with in the family courts. I think that's intended to be a review that lasts for three or four months and the call for evidence is, I think, imminent in relation to that. I have had a preliminary...
Jeremy Miles: Well, I thank Helen Mary Jones for her supplementary. She does identify in her question some of the tragic consequences of the actions of the UK Government in the lives of these women, and we all identify with the remarks that she's making in her question. With regard to the point about my powers to intervene and the powers of Welsh Ministers to intervene, that is the kind of thing that, of...
Jeremy Miles: Through the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service Cymru’s delivery of the family court advisory service in Wales, and through its engagement on the family justice board, Welsh Ministers advance the best interests and the rights of children who are engaged in or who are affected by family proceedings on a day-to-day basis.
Jeremy Miles: Well, I thank the Member for that supplementary question, and I know that this is a matter that he's been campaigning on in his constituency and is in close touch with his local 1950s women's group. He is right to say that in the debate on 20 March the Deputy Minister indicated an approach on behalf of the Welsh Government. As he says, the High Court has granted permission for that judicial...
Jeremy Miles: I'm not aware of the point of the Member's question.
Jeremy Miles: The Welsh Government has consistently expressed to the UK Government its concerns about women who have had their state pension age raised without effective or sufficient notification. However, state pensions are a non-devolved matter and therefore the Welsh Ministers' powers are constrained in that respect.
Jeremy Miles: Well—[Interruption.]
Jeremy Miles: I'm surprised to hear—[Interruption.]
Jeremy Miles: I'm surprised to hear the Member criticise our approach towards seeking to enforce the regulations that we are responsible for enforcing. I would have hoped that she would have supported the Government in practical and proactive enforcement of the regulations that we are responsible for enforcing here in Wales. And I think investment in fisheries patrol vehicles is a very, very sensible...
Jeremy Miles: The responsibility for taking action to enforce Welsh-made legislation through the justice system largely lies with the Welsh Government and a range of agencies. The Welsh Government’s approach is to promote behavioural change and collaboration rather than criminalisation, and we would like to pursue this approach through a devolved justice system.
Jeremy Miles: Well, both those propositions are true. There are plans to provide further evidence. I myself, for example, have been to Northern Ireland and to Scotland to look at how matters work there. Some of the features that we would perhaps have to deal with in a future settlement here are ones that are already part of the daily life of legal practitioners in Northern Ireland. So, there will be the...
Jeremy Miles: I'm not entirely clear about the point the Member was making in her last question, but the Law Society's submission, I'm sure she will know, represents, I think, perhaps an evolution of their position and, although it does identify some of the concerns that are very well understood in relation to the jurisdictional issue and the existence of a separate jurisdiction in particular, my reading...
Jeremy Miles: We await the outcome of the justice commission, but the Welsh Government is advocating the creation of a Welsh legal jurisdiction for many reasons, constitutional and practical. We are also of the view that a Welsh legal jurisdiction would benefit Welsh lawyers or, at the very least, would have a neutral effect.
Jeremy Miles: Well, I'm not familiar with the correspondence to which the Member refers in his question, but I'm happy to look into that matter.
Jeremy Miles: Well, I hope the Member feels that my response today has been open and transparent in giving the precise figure. I'm not in a position to comment on the particular freedom of information request that the Member refers to. I don't anticipate further substantive costs being incurred. The costs that were incurred were done with a view to minimising those costs, and so, although leading counsel...
Jeremy Miles: The expenditure that has been incurred by the Welsh Government in relation to the judicial review of the coroner’s decision, including the costs of leading counsel, amounted to £18,732.18.
Jeremy Miles: We—. I'm not quite sure where to start with that, really. We've been absolutely clear, and I wish that she and Members in her party would be slightly clearer than perhaps you have been, on this issue of how important it is for our health and care services to continue to be able to rely on the services of very valued employees and workers who are from the European Union. We've taken...
