7. 7. Plaid Cymru Debate: The Wales Bill

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:13 pm on 15 June 2016.

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Photo of Mick Antoniw Mick Antoniw Labour 5:13, 15 June 2016

Thank you for the opportunity to speak on this again. This is subject matter that we will undoubtedly be discussing line by line in detail, because this is of massive importance really. If we don’t know the framework of our powers in which we operate, how can we possibly develop properly policy for the future and represent the people who elect us?

I do welcome this Bill, in the sense that the last Bill was completely unworkable. I think that was almost recognised across all political parties. This Bill has some very substantial flaws but provides a basis to have something that can be workable and sustainable. So, to that extent, I welcome it.

Can I just make a few comments on the Bill, because there will be many matters of detail that we’ll need to go into at some stage? The first one is that the thing that has always concerned me about the way these Bills have appeared is the lack of being given any proper logic or explanation for reservations that are there—why something is being reserved as opposed to why something is not being reserved. I think that has always been a flaw, because if you’re working collectively to try and achieve workable legislation you have to know what the logic is between those who’ve actually drafted this and where it goes. Well, hopefully, that will become clearer. I’ll just put in the bid I always make on these, which is that I do hope that we actually get gambling and fixed-odds betting machines, the ability to oversee those, because there is a serious health issue with this. There are matters that we do want to have devolved to us because they do raise serious public issues.

Can I also raise one other issue that I’ve raised several times? That is that I still think there may be an opportunity in respect of the issue of fiscal powers—[Interruption.] I do apologise.