The Welsh Government's Plans for Brexit

Part of 2. Questions to the Counsel General and Brexit Minister (in respect of his Brexit Minister responsibilities) – in the Senedd at 3:03 pm on 10 July 2019.

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Photo of Jeremy Miles Jeremy Miles Labour 3:03, 10 July 2019

(Translated)

Well, that is not what I said. I said that I didn’t know when the information would be forthcoming from the United Kingdom Government. As regards preparation, it’s important, isn't it, that we make all possible preparation to ensure that we are in the best position possible when the times comes to leave, if the time comes to leave? It is definitely certain that we haven’t got the full picture at the moment, or the full information to hand, in a number of areas. That’s not something that we welcome, of course. But the Member would also criticise us if we didn’t make any preparations to prepare for this scenario, and he has criticised us in other contexts, saying that we are lagging behind, in his words, in presenting environmental legislation, for example.

So, as a Government, we have to take purposeful steps to ensure that we have a proper framework to be able to deal with whatever outcomes of Brexit. We have been discussing earlier today this question of regional structural funds and so on. There's a great deal of work happening in that field too—we're not certain what the budget will be for that. We have to prepare systems as regards how we can better secure financial sources in the future. And it's obvious—and I know that the Member will know this—that the challenge for the agriculture sector is a huge one, and it’s important that we collaborate and co-operate with them, as the Minister is doing, in order to describe the kind of situation we will face post Brexit and prepare the best we can for that possibility. But I’m sure that the Minister will be very keen to hear the standpoint of the broader sector during the consultation.