8. What discussion has the Counsel General held with the UK Government regarding safeguarding Wales's interests in the Brexit process after 31 October 2019? OAQ54443

While we believe Wales’s interests are best protected by remaining in the EU, I continue to highlight the vital importance of the full involvement of the Welsh Government in the development of UK negotiating positions on withdrawal issues and any future relationship with the EU.

You’ll be aware, of course, of the warnings—and we heard some from the agricultural sector over the summer—of the possibility of civil unrest as a result of the circumstances arising from a ‘no deal’ Brexit. So, can I ask you what preparations and discussions you’ve had with the relevant authorities in light of those possibilities, because the closer we come to a ‘no deal’ Brexit, then the closer, I would think, we come to that possibility?

That is a very important question. Of course, we must ensure that arrangements are in place to deal with such occurrences, wherever they occur and in whichever context. But I acknowledge the reference that the Member makes.

As regards specific examples, we have no information on that at present, but the civil contingencies process collaborating across the whole of the United Kingdom is in place, and that is one of the examples where the networking is at its strongest across the UK. And he may have seen that we referred to those recently on the general preparedness, which we published in that paper. But I assure the Member that this is always one of the priorities, to ensure that joint arrangements with local resilience forums and the other services are in place to ensure that we monitor this and are ready to respond as the need arises.