Part of 2. Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for European Transition (in respect of his 'law officer' responsibilities) – in the Senedd at 2:31 pm on 22 September 2020.
Well, the Bill, if passed into law, would constrain the actions not only of this Government, but successive Welsh Governments, and, indeed, the effectiveness of this Senedd to make the kind of ambitious changes in law and reform in Wales that it would wish to make. I mentioned in my earlier question the very practical ways in which this affects consumers and citizens right across Wales. Some of the provisions in the Bill are at odds with the Government of Wales Act 2006. Some wouldn't prevent the Senedd from passing laws or Ministers making regulations, but would effectively mean they couldn't be enforced on the ground in Wales. Now, these are changes that run the serious risk of limiting the actions of this Government and future Governments to fulfil manifesto pledges and to be ambitious on behalf of the people of Wales. She identifies in particular the impact on the shared prosperity fund. I think UK Government Ministers have been pretty upfront about the fact that the provisions in the Bill would provide UK Government Ministers with the powers to circumvent powers that effectively have been those of Welsh Ministers to manage the successor programmes to EU programmes in Wales—a clear breach of the commitment made not to reverse the devolution settlement and the powers of the Welsh Government in relation to those successor programmes.