Leaving the EU without a Deal

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:41 pm on 12 February 2019.

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Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 1:41, 12 February 2019

(Translated)

I thank Llyr Gruffydd for that supplementary question. I would just state that our policy is the policy that he has set out this afternoon—that the responsibility to legislate is in the hands of the Assembly. We want to see the Assembly dealing with those particular responsibilities unless there is a specific reason that we can't do it in that way. Of course, Brexit does create the context where that specific reason arises.

What we're doing is the same as they are doing in Scotland. Where the House of Commons can do things that are entirely technical and that don't change our policy at all, because there is insufficient time for us to redo things that they do, then we say, 'Well, we're content for them, with our agreement, to legislate.' But, if policies change, then we bring them to the floor of the Assembly, and that's what we've done. There are more things to do with regards to statutory instruments, with regard to exiting the European Union, and there are more to come to the floor of the Assembly. So, when policies change, we come here and we give opportunities, importantly, for the Assembly to scrutinise what we suggest.

In the context of exiting the European Union, where there are so many things to do, when the changes are only technical in nature, then we give the House of Commons the opportunity to do so on our behalf, as they do in Scotland. Just to come to the final question, I can foresee a situation where we will have to allocate greater time on the floor of the Assembly to deal with the impact if we are going to exit the European Union.