2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:34 pm on 22 May 2018.

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Photo of Julie James Julie James Labour 2:34, 22 May 2018

On that one, I'm afraid I just don't know the answer to that, so I'll make sure that all Members are written to to say what the situation is. Obviously, many of us have been following the situation there with keen attention, (a) because it impacts on our services, as the Member has pointed out, but, actually, (b) because we have a long-standing commitment to proper services for women and the situation in the Republic of Ireland is outwith a large number of liberal democracies and all of the values that we stand for. So, we've all been following it with some interest, but I'm afraid I don't know the specifics about citizens returning home, so I'll make sure that a letter is given to all Assembly Members saying whether we've done anything. I'm not aware if we have or not. 

In terms of the EU withdrawal Bill, yes, there's a certain amount of disarray, I think it's fair to say, in what's happened with the Lords and so on. We're obviously keeping a keen eye on that. I disagree with the statements made by both of the Ministers that you quote for reasons that I won't spend 25 minutes expanding on or the Llywydd will be cross. But of course the Cabinet Secretary will be updating the Senedd very frequently as the situation changes, and indeed it's very possible that some of the amendments will be lifted out and put into the next Bill, for example, and a number of other things are now on the cards. So, it's extremely important that this Senedd is kept completely up to date with where we are. And, obviously, as the Cabinet Secretary said during the LCM process actually, if the situation changes in any material way, then of course we would have to reconsider it. So, absolutely, the Member raises a very important point, and the situation is—I think the standard phrase is—'fluid' and 'interesting', and, Llywydd, I think we all now live inside the Chinese proverb of 'living in interesting times'.