The Devolution of Justice

Part of 2. Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for European Transition (in respect of his law officer responsibilities) – in the Senedd at 2:56 pm on 20 October 2020.

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Photo of Jeremy Miles Jeremy Miles Labour 2:56, 20 October 2020

I thank Alun Davies for that supplementary and for his long-standing support for the cause of devolution of justice in Wales. I will say that, in the last few months, I do think that people's understanding in Wales of how the justice system operates and how the Welsh Government and Senedd legislate, and how those laws are policed by a reserved police force, if you like—. I think people have gained a deeper and broader understanding of the potential for justice decisions to be taken here in Wales and I think that, in very dark circumstances, that has been a positive development in terms of people's understanding. I would also like to say that in the ability of the Welsh Government to work with the police, obviously, but also the prison service, the court service and a number of other, as it were, reserved authorities within the justice system, there has been an incredible amount of joint working in a very joined-up way in the course of the last few weeks and months, but that has happened despite the justice arrangements that we have, not because of them. It has happened because of the efforts that individuals have made to make that set of relationships work, and I think it is, in a sense, an indication to us of how much more we could achieve in terms of that joined-up thinking if we had a devolution settlement that made it easier, rather than harder.