QNR – in the Senedd on 16 January 2019.
Our position is set out in our paper 'Regional Investment in Wales after Brexit'. We are actively planning successor arrangements and pressing the UK Government to honour promises made that funding for Wales would be fully replaced in the event of leaving the EU and that devolution will be strengthened.
Brexit preparations are a high priority for the whole of the Welsh Government.
We discussed ‘no deal’ preparedness work related to Welsh ports, in particular Holyhead, at our Cabinet meeting on Monday.
We are clear that leaving the EU should not result in a deterioration in the rights of people. We continue to press the UK Government to commit to dynamic alignment for areas within their competence, including workers' rights, and we are considering how we can safeguard and enhance protections in areas within our competence.
The UK Government proposals in the immigration White Paper means nurses, junior doctors, and a range of workers that we need for our public services and industry may no longer be allowed to come to Wales. Our future immigration system should help our economy and people and not stifle it.
The UK Government’s own analysis in addition to that from independent bodies and the Welsh Government demonstrates that Brexit will damage the economy. The Prime Minister must commit to negotiate an EU exit as outlined in 'Securing Wales’ Future', which remains the least damaging form of Brexit.
The whole Cabinet is committed to supporting Welsh businesses through Brexit. I attended the Cabinet sub-committee on EU transition in December, where the Minister for Economy and Transport presented a detailed paper on preparing business for Brexit. We continue to engage closely with businesses across Wales.
Since the Prime Minister committed to the UK’s ‘remaining in step’ with the EU on state aid in her March 2018 Mansion House speech, we have engaged with the UK Government to ensure regulatory continuity for Welsh businesses and press for Welsh input into any future changes.
The recently introduced Legislation (Wales) Bill commits future Governments to keep the accessibility of the law under review and to take action to make it more accessible to all. We intend to develop consolidated codes of Welsh law as well as improving the way legislation is published.
We have consistently argued with the UK Government that EU citizens who have contributed to our public services and economy should not have to pay settled status fees to remain in the UK. As the UK Government insists, then it should at least waive the cost of children’s fees.