Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for those questions. He mentioned the steel sector and the automotive sector, but there's also the aerospace industry, advanced engineering—all of these sectors are the sectors that will be hit by tariff and non-tariff barriers. So, the short answer to the Member's question is that, in the context of no deal and in the context of the Prime Minister's deal, there is no...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for those questions. In relation to the shared prosperity fund, as he will know, the Welsh Government has been clear that Wales should not receive a penny less as a consequence of Brexit and that all decisions currently taken by the Welsh Government in relation to regional funding, as it is, should remain with the Welsh Government. I most recently made those points to the...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Llywydd. The kind of support for education is the kind of support for the education sector that the Welsh Government has been outlining in its evidenced policy documents over the last two years. It bears no relationship to the kind of support that the UK Government are envisaging in the political declaration or anything else that they have done, and I know that the education...
Jeremy Miles: Well, I regret the tone of complacency and Pollyanna-ish optimism that the Member brought to his questions. If he thinks that an economy that is 2 per cent smaller than it would have been otherwise is anything other than bad news for the people of Wales, then he's going to find not many people in Wales are going to agree with that perspective, because whilst we talk about things in this...
Jeremy Miles: I know some Members will dismiss this as scaremongering, but for those who believe good times are just around the corner if we move to WTO terms, let me quote the President of the Confederation of British Industry, John Allan, who said last week: 'The notion that we're the only major nation on earth operating just on WTO terms seems to me to be saying we're confident we have a mile race but...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Llywydd. I’m conscious perhaps that 'no deal' Brexit fatigue may now be setting in. But, in concluding this series of statements this afternoon, I want to focus on the overall impact on our economy and the well-being of the people of Wales. A 'no deal' Brexit will bring profoundly negative consequences for workers, businesses, higher and further education and the Welsh economy....
Jeremy Miles: Llywydd, let us be under no illusion about the seriousness of this situation. I note the one thing the Prime Minister did not say last night, despite the crushing nature of the defeat, was that she would ask for an extension of article 50 to give breathing space for the new approach that she offered. Indeed, Government figures have continued to say that such an extension is not necessary....
Jeremy Miles: Llywydd, considering the disorder in the Parliament in London and as we await the result of the motion of no confidence this evening, now is the time to ensure that we work towards one unified aim here at the National Assembly for Wales, to ensure that the key interests of Wales are noted clearly and safeguarded. That’s what our main objective has been since the 2016 referendum. I’m...
Jeremy Miles: Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, that's absolutely the case and that is part and parcel of the advice that is provided through the portal. The reality of the situation is that many businesses aren't actively planning yet for the consequences of Brexit. The First Minister, the Minister for the economy, have recently called on businesses to ensure they are doing all they can to actively engage and...
Jeremy Miles: Absolutely. One of the strands for the preparedness work has been to identify areas where the characteristics of Wales—in this context, the economic characteristics—might be slightly different from other parts of the UK, and therefore need a particular approach, and, obviously, having a business sector that is so well represented by the SME sector is one of those aspects. In addition to...
Jeremy Miles: The whole Cabinet is committed to supporting Welsh businesses through Brexit. I attended the Cabinet sub-committee on EU transition in December, where the Minister for Economy and Transport presented a detailed paper on preparing business for Brexit, and we continue to engage closely with businesses across Wales.
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for that further question. The Minister for the economy launched the portal back in September, I believe it was, and the point of the portal is to provide a diagnostic toolkit for businesses to cover the whole range of potential challenges that might arise in the context of Brexit and to support them in readiness for a post-Brexit world, and, as her question refers to, one...
Jeremy Miles: Well, absolutely. The Member describes the situation, a very traumatic situation for the individuals concerned, with passion, and I would endorse his remarks. I'm aware that a response has been received in relation to the question of settled status and the family challenge, which the Welsh Government made to the UK Government in relation to this, and unfortunately that has not taken us...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for her question. This is a very, very important area for the health profession and other profession as well—veterinary surgeons, social workers and teachers all have concerns in relation to this area. The approach that is being discussed with the UK Government is in relation to laying legislation in Parliament, which will ensure that, in the event of a 'no deal' Brexit...
Jeremy Miles: Officials are in regular contact with UK Government counterparts on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications, including in relation to the health professions. I and Cabinet colleagues will continue to engage with UK Government Ministers to ensure that Welsh interests are protected and that EU-qualified health professionals in Wales are unaffected.
Jeremy Miles: Well, I thank the Member for that question. She and I have discussed the nature of some of the posters and communications that other parties were advocating during the referendum itself as being a reason why this culture shift has developed. Certainly, the European transition fund is being deployed to make the sorts of funding investment decisions that she is referring to in her question, and...
Jeremy Miles: We always need to be mindful of the best way of achieving these objectives. One of the issues that seems to me to be important is that we retain the level of flexibility to be able to respond to emerging dimensions in hate crime. It is unfortunately one of those areas that seems to find new outlets in different contexts, as Leanne Wood's question indicated. Social media has provided a whole...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for that question, and I recognise the point that she made in relation to the spike in hate crime, which we've discussed in this Chamber before, and it's absolutely shocking that that should arise in the context of the debates that we are having now. I absolutely will give the assurance that she asks for that we'll send a very clear signal that there is no place for hate...
Jeremy Miles: I've had a preliminary discussion about these issues with the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip, and will be meeting her again next week to consider them in more detail. We are already delivering our tackling hate crime programme and expanding our community cohesion work to seek to mitigate any rise in hate crime.
Jeremy Miles: Can I just endorse the premise of the Member's question, really, which is the value that Wales derives not simply from the relationship with the European Union per se, but also from regions and nations across the European Union, and the various institutions across Europe in which we're represented? And I know of his own work, for example, on the Committee of the Regions for many years. It's...
