Part of 2. 2. Questions to the Counsel General – in the Senedd at 2:32 pm on 12 July 2017.
I thank the Counsel General for his reply. Obviously, when I was tabling this question, I was half hoping we’d have seen the repeal Bill—we’ll get to see it tomorrow, my understanding is. And, if the rumours around the Bill are correct, then what we will see is a replacement of the European Union with some sort of concept of a United Kingdom kind of framework, and we will not, in fact, see the devolution of those powers that are held now at a European level but which relate to fully devolved responsibilities here in Wales. That includes fisheries, which we’ve just discussed, but it also includes agriculture and the environment.
Now, if it is the case that such a Bill doesn’t allow for that flow of devolution, surely two things should be considered by the Welsh Government. One is a continuity Bill, which has been Plaid Cymru’s suggestion for several months now, and, secondly, is the use of a mechanism such as the Joint Ministerial Committee to ensure that no further movement is done on the repeal Bill without the agreement of this Assembly, and, indeed, the other devolved legislatures in the United Kingdom. So, he won’t give me the legal advice—I understand that—but can he confirm that he has given legal advice, ‘yes’ or ‘no’, to the Welsh Government on a continuity Bill? And what is the Welsh Government’s view now on the operation of the JMC to ensure that there is a strong Welsh voice in decisions around the repeal Bill?