Jeremy Miles: We are clear that leaving the EU should not result in a deterioration in the rights of people. We continue to press the UK Government to commit to dynamic alignment for areas within their competence, including workers' rights, and we are considering how we can safeguard and enhance protections in areas within our competence.
Jeremy Miles: The UK Government proposals in the immigration White Paper means nurses, junior doctors, and a range of workers that we need for our public services and industry may no longer be allowed to come to Wales. Our future immigration system should help our economy and people and not stifle it.
Jeremy Miles: The UK Government’s own analysis in addition to that from independent bodies and the Welsh Government demonstrates that Brexit will damage the economy. The Prime Minister must commit to negotiate an EU exit as outlined in 'Securing Wales’ Future', which remains the least damaging form of Brexit.
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. We continue to engage closely with businesses across Wales.
Jeremy Miles: Since the Prime Minister committed to the UK’s ‘remaining in step’ with the EU on state aid in her March 2018 Mansion House speech, we have engaged with the UK Government to ensure regulatory continuity for Welsh businesses and press for Welsh input into any future changes.
Jeremy Miles: The recently introduced Legislation (Wales) Bill commits future Governments to keep the accessibility of the law under review and to take action to make it more accessible to all. We intend to develop consolidated codes of Welsh law as well as improving the way legislation is published.
Jeremy Miles: We have consistently argued with the UK Government that EU citizens who have contributed to our public services and economy should not have to pay settled status fees to remain in the UK. As the UK Government insists, then it should at least waive the cost of children’s fees.
Jeremy Miles: On that last point, I am reflecting on the legal context of that discussion. Can I firstly say, in relation to the reports that the committee that he chairs has produced on a range of preparedness issues, in particular towards the latter part of last year, that I've found them very beneficial? And I know that colleagues in Government are considering them with a view to issuing, obviously,...
Jeremy Miles: I thank Rhianon for her question. The notion that a Government that is unable to take through the House of Commons its policy on the defining issue of the day should not seek a dissolution of Parliament would be very novel in our constitution. It would be exactly what follows, as night follows day, in any circumstance. So, it is right that the Government will face a motion of no confidence....
Jeremy Miles: Clearly, unless there's an extension to article 50, 29 March has always been the date at which we leave the European Union. The question is on what basis does that happen? I'm afraid that the notion that leaving without a deal is just one scenario that we could just plan for is for the birds. The truth of it is that leaving without a deal is very bad news for Wales and very bad news for the...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for that question. Firstly, with regard to the extension of article 50, I think he's right to say that. I think that finding a resolution to this is going to need an extension to article 50. That's certainly what we've been calling on the Government in Westminster to seek from the other European Union members. In relation to the work of preparation, he's absolutely right to...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for his question. On the point of extending article 50, we have been calling for this because it is evident that we need more space in order to arrive at the right point with regard to a deal that works for Wales and for the United Kingdom. Having an opportunity to have those discussions would be a prize worth winning for all, and that we have a plan that gives the...
Jeremy Miles: The Member talks about the inconvenient truth. I'm afraid the inconvenient truth is this: that people in Wales were promised there would be no damage to their job prospects as a consequence of leaving the European Union; they were promised there would be not a penny less coming into Wales from European funding sources; they were promised sunny, sunlit uplands by those campaigning to leave the...
Jeremy Miles: The result is a deal which represents an obvious retreat from the Prime Minister's arrogant red lines and her pretence that we can have the same access to the single market without subscribing to its rule, but which fails in the cobbled-together political declaration to secure firm guarantees over this country's economic future. The deal does not remove the threat of a perilous cliff edge; it...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. As we sit here, our colleagues in the UK Parliament are reaching the end of their elongated debate on the Government’s proposed EU withdrawal deal. They will vote later and it’s likely the Prime Minister’s deal will be defeated, probably quite heavily. We are scheduled to leave the European Union in 73 days, and there is no kind of deal in place. We have...
Jeremy Miles: Mark Drakeford.
Jeremy Miles: Thank you to Dai Lloyd for those questions. On the first question, on language, the proposals in the Bill could have a positive impact on the use of the Welsh language more generally in our law. That is, through codifying, it restates existing law as Welsh law. And as so much of that is still available in English only, the fact that it will be restated in both languages does create a corpus...
Jeremy Miles: You mentioned the interrelationship between the 1978 Act and what is proposed in this Bill. The cutting and pasting that you referred to is not something that we are proposing. I hope we will be able to secure a point in time for the second part of the Bill to become law that is easy to remember, so that Members and users of legislation in the future will know clearly that Assembly Acts...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for a wide-ranging number of questions there. I hope I manage to respond to most if not all of them. On the question of the definition of codification and consolidation, the basic point of the legislation is to secure more accessible law, and I think one of the key principles there is to allow definitions to have their dictionary definitions as far as that is possible. So,...
Jeremy Miles: While Part 1 of the Bill is innovative, Part 2 of the Bill follows a long tradition established by the UK Parliament in the nineteenth century when it first passed an interpretation Act. Statutory interpretation is the process of determining the meaning and effect of legislation and how it operates. This can be a complex process, so Acts prescribing rules on how laws are to be interpreted are...
