Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:50 pm on 24 May 2017.
Can I welcome the statement from the Counsel General for Wales, and also to welcome the general direction of travel, as it were, in developing Welsh Government’s prosecution codes, and this consultation is very much welcome? And as David Melding has already alluded to, we are talking about serious matters here in terms of animal welfare, food production and fisheries, rules and laws that need to be taken seriously.
So, just a couple of questions and issues arise. We have the number there for successful prosecutions. I was just wondering how many prosecutions were considered but then not brought forward—in other words, not captured by those figures? In other words, how realistic a prospect is it of a prosecution resulting from offending in terms of—? So, we have the 38 successful prosecutions, but have we got a handle on exactly how much potential offending in these fields was actually going on?
Following on from that, could the Counsel General for Wales confirm that we do have the legal tools at the disposal of Wales at the moment to enforce Welsh laws?
And the third point is that, obviously, policing and the courts are not devolved to Wales, and the Counsel General has mentioned that in passing as regards the general point about UK CPS codes. Bearing in mind that policing and enforcement are not devolved and that, in fact, we’re losing some enforcement issues with the new Wales Act, is there a danger that the UK Government’s codes will supersede the Welsh Government’s prosecution code in actual practice, that being the case? I’m looking for reassurance there, really. And in terms of—well, not really a philosophical debate, but in terms of momentous potential decisions happening, I’m talking about the interface between these prosecution codes and, say, matters pertaining to the great repeal Bill as regards the devolved powers we have in agriculture and fisheries, which are in this place now, we face losing them unless, obviously, there’s universal approval of the continuation Bill that this Assembly has passed to make sure that we don’t lose those European powers in the devolved fields that we have now. So, I’m looking for further reassurance from the Counsel General, really, that that interface is something that we’re keeping an eye on and, obviously, keeping our hands on those powers that we have now. Thank you.