3. 2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:30 pm on 4 July 2017.

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Photo of Mr Simon Thomas Mr Simon Thomas Plaid Cymru 2:30, 4 July 2017

Could I ask for an update on two matters? First of all, there’s been a briefing today by the Public and Commercial Services Union for members in their offices regarding the Department for Work and Pension’s estates programme in Wales. Since the election of the new Government, I’ve written to the Westminster Government, urging them to re-examine the case for closing the DWP offices in Llanelli, and also the case in Ystradgynlais as well, for different reasons. However, I understand from what I’ve been told today that there’s a likelihood of imminent announcements regarding these offices in Wales, and the decision being taken by the Department for Work and Pensions. So, if that is the case, can I have an undertaking from the business manager that the Government will make an immediate statement in response to that, setting out how it may respond in places like Llanelli to that announcement, particularly in terms of assisting people who may actually be left in a position where they cannot move and take up jobs due to home commitments, work commitments, care commitments and travel distance and cost? I think some of the burden of a DWP decision may possibly fall on the Welsh Government, so I’d welcome the commitment to respond to that.

The second issue I’d like to raise is that of the decision announced over the weekend—not actually announced in Parliament until Monday—by Michael Gove, to withdraw the United Kingdom from the London’s Fishery Convention, which was signed in 1964, and which has probably been overwritten several times by the common fisheries policy. So, it’s a kind of a rhetorical signal of a Brexiteer, rather than a reality in political and legal terms. However, it does raise two questions. One is: what discussions were had with the Welsh Government regarding this, as fisheries are a devolved matter? Welsh fishermen and women may be quite relaxed about this, in that we mainly have an inshore fleet and a shellfish industry, but I think there are some trawlers coming out of Milford Haven that may travel to waters that are affected, at least by the principle of this withdrawal, and of course it does raise the question of access to each other’s maritime limits after we withdraw from the common fisheries policy. So, can we have a statement from the Government, setting out what discussions have been around the London Fisheries Convention, or indeed, the common fisheries policy; how that has been discussed with the Welsh Government; what discussions have happened with the Welsh fishing industry around these; and whether there’s any intention of the Welsh Government to make any public announcement on this, as the Scottish Government, I note, has in fact welcomed it?