Jeremy Miles: Well, I thank the Member for that supplementary. Obviously, I am aware of the project in his constituency based on the correspondence that we have had. He's acknowledged I can't make specific comment on that, and in fact that those decisions are made by WEFO, not by Welsh Ministers. There has been a large number of successful projects that have gone to community and third sector...
Jeremy Miles: Over £80 million of EU funding has been committed to community enterprises and third sector organisations through the Welsh European Funding Office as part of the current EU structural funds programmes.
Jeremy Miles: Well, the Member will know that the focus of Government policy on recycling and the target for recycling has the effect of minimising the use of waste in any other context. In relation to the impact of Brexit on this area, as part of the legislative preparations for a potential ‘no deal’ exit, the Member will know that corrective legislation has been put in place, and that includes...
Jeremy Miles: I've had no discussions about waste incineration post Brexit, as this has not arisen specifically in Brexit discussions. The Welsh Government is committed to upholding environmental standards after we leave the European Union, and, whilst I have not had specific discussions on waste incineration, we have made preparations to ensure legislation, including the relevant regulations, remains in...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for those questions. She asked me about the impact of a 'no deal' Brexit and our assessment of the impact of that on Wales. Well, she will know that we regard that as the worst possible outcome for people in Wales. Just the impact on the economy is extremely adverse—between 8 per cent and 10 per cent smaller than otherwise it would be. And that has a very real effect on...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for that range of questions. He started by talking about the parliamentary response to the Prime Minister's deal reflecting the very simple principle that it was not good for the country, and I think in that simple phrase he's hit the nail on the head. That is fundamentally the reason why there is no progress being made in Parliament. He asked a question in relation to...
Jeremy Miles: And we end where, I suspect, the Member would have preferred to begin. I'm glad he welcomes the opportunity to discuss the issue in the Chamber. He talks about the loss of democratic influence as a consequence of leaving the European Union, and that is inevitably the case. But if I am presented with the choice between the kind of hard Brexit that he evidently favours and the kind of Brexit...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for that series of questions. I do welcome the remarks that she opened with, to thank civil servants and people across the public sector in Wales for all the work they've been doing. That will have been very well received by those who have been engaged so hard over that period. And I also welcome the attention that she draws in her question to the relationship between...
Jeremy Miles: Well, I'll just start by saying that I do regret the Member's lack of welcome for the opportunity for this Chamber to continue to discuss the impact on Wales of, surely, the single biggest issue that any of us face, including his constituents. I think it's important that this forum, this Chamber, is able to give its opinion on the evolving situation in Parliament, in Europe and in Wales on...
Jeremy Miles: The UK Government has squandered literally billions of pounds on 'no deal' preparations, on hiring new staff who now have little or nothing to do, on designing information technology systems we may never need and, most notoriously, on chartering ferry capacity from a company with no ships and then paying more than £30 million in compensation to aggrieved competitors, all in a vain effort to...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Llywydd. Superficially, at least, much has changed since we last had the opportunity to take stock of the Brexit process. I'm sure most Members will have welcomed the decision of the extraordinary meeting of the European Council to agree to an extension to the article 50 deadline until 31 October. The decision has meant that we have averted, for now at least, the prospect of a...
Jeremy Miles: Improving accessibility is a long-term project, but, as I indicated earlier, that makes it even more important that we set about the task. I'm grateful for the indications Members have given in the debate of their support for the progress of the Bill to Stage 2, and I look forward to working with members of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee as they continue the scrutiny of...
Jeremy Miles: Formally.
Jeremy Miles: Llyr Gruffydd also talked about the figures from the Law Commission. We haven’t chosen to lead on those figures. They’re important in terms of showing the scale, but I personally don’t think it’s easy to do a scientific analysis of those figures. For example, assessing the impact of the work of a lawyer in terms of implementing this Act, or one of the other Acts that could be created...
Jeremy Miles: Mick and Suzy Davies—and, in fact, Dai Lloyd—spoke about the importance of understanding what codification means. It's set out there in the explanatory memorandum, but just to remind people: it is not an exercise in publishing, it's not an exercise in co-locating bits of law, it's an exercise in consolidating law that appears in different bits of the statute book so that it appears in a...
Jeremy Miles: Several people mentioned the importance of the Welsh language. Of course, we had a recommendation from the commissioner about how to provide for people working in the area, and to ensure that enough people come through the system so as to ensure that lawyers who are fluent in Welsh can operate within a bilingual system in the future.
Jeremy Miles: Diolch, Llywydd. I'd like to thank all the Members who've participated in the debate today. I've particularly enjoyed some of the conceptual discussions, but I think the measure of the success or otherwise of the Bill will be felt in the practical application of its provisions to the lives of citizens in Wales. I'm grateful for the support that Members have given, starting with the...
Jeremy Miles: Llywydd, to conclude for the time being, I would like to again thank the stakeholders, the committees and fellow Members for their very positive approach to this Bill and to the more general aim of trying to develop a statute book for Wales that is modern, ordered, clear and accessible. This Bill lays a foundation, and I’m very aware that we have some hard work ahead of us to build on that...
Jeremy Miles: One of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee's recommendations was that, during the Stage 1 debate, I should update the National Assembly on the progress of discussions with the UK Government in relation to the legislative competence of this Assembly to enact the Bill. This derives from correspondence received from the Secretary of State, to which the First Minister responded...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. It's a huge pleasure to open this afternoon's debate on the Legislation (Wales) Bill. The purpose of the Bill is to make Welsh legislation more accessible, clear and simple to use. It makes provision on the interpretation and implementation of Welsh law and makes it a requirement that the Counsel General and Welsh Ministers take steps to improve the...
