Part of 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 2:55 pm on 10 January 2018.
Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for the confirmation that the promised amendments that related around the devolution settlement and, of course, clause 11 in particular, have not been tabled in the House of Commons, as promised by a Secretary of State, albeit for Scotland, but on behalf of the whole of the UK Government? I think that's extremely disappointing. It's doubly disappointing because it means we have less time as an Assembly to consider those amendments, and it is disappointing from the point of view of those in Westminster, because, of course, now it's not elected MPs who will be scrutinising these amendments, but the House of Lords, and the House of Lords should be the second Chamber and the backstop on constitutional amendments, not the first port of call for discussions around devolution and the relationship between the constituent parts of these islands. So, it's a really deep and desperate failure by the Westminster Government that is directly related to the Cabinet reshuffle that they've just undergone, because it's directly related to the leaving of Damian Green and the fact that there's been no leadership over the Christmas period to give these amendments force for them to be considered in Westminster.
But the question for the Cabinet Secretary and the Welsh Government must be this, now: why continue to trust the Tories? Why put the constitutional future of Wales in the hands of a Conservative Government that's failing to deliver on its promises—on this occasion, but several times in the past as well? Why not now bring forward your own continuity Bill, previously referenced by the Chair of the External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee, which you have prepared, which you have ready, which you can now use as a belt-and-braces approach to ensure that we do not lose out on the future arrangements as we leave the European Union? It's essential that there is respect paid to this Parliament, as it is becoming, and to the devolution settlement. Tabling main amendments at the last minute that cannot be properly discussed or properly analysed and ascertained of their relevance to our constitutional future cannot be a way to go ahead. I urge you: don't trust the Tories anymore; bring forward your own continuity Bill.