4. Statement by the Counsel General: Supreme Court Reference: UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Legal Continuity) (Scotland) Bill

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:16 pm on 3 July 2018.

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Photo of David Rees David Rees Labour 4:16, 3 July 2018

I'd like to thank the Counsel General for his statement. It's very interesting to understand the position for that need to intervene, and I fully support your points. I understand the need to separate the way in which this institution has actually decided upon a consent, based upon the agreement and the amendments, and the Scottish Parliament, as Simon Thomas quite rightly pointed out, took an alternative decision.

But you're also focusing upon the implications for devolution and the rights of this Parliament to make a decision on devolved competencies, which you believed we were well within our rights to do on this particular Bill. Have you made an assessment of what if Scotland was also within their rights, and the Supreme Court rules that Scotland was correct in putting that Bill forward, therefore, making it legitimate? And what issues then will we be facing in Wales compared to what Scotland will be facing? Because Scotland will have different powers and different laws because it will be approved, compared to what Wales will now be operating under, and therefore the frameworks issues we're going to be discussing might be under different scenarios as a consequence of that. Have you made that assessment yet?