5. Legislative Consent Motion on the Environment Bill

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:45 pm on 28 September 2021.

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Photo of Llyr Gruffydd Llyr Gruffydd Plaid Cymru 4:45, 28 September 2021

First, recommendations 1 and 2, which relate to the concurrent plus powers in several parts of the UK Bill. Now, these powers would enable the UK Secretary of State to make important environmental regulations for Wales on behalf of Welsh Ministers, albeit with their consent. The effect of this would be, of course, to bypass Senedd scrutiny of those regulations. Instead, scrutiny would be undertaken by the UK Parliament.

We've been clear in our report that we're not averse to a UK-wide approach to regulation making, where appropriate, but it has to be exactly that. It has to involve all of the UK legislatures, not just the UK Parliament. Now, we seek to address that, but what we have of course is that the Minister rejects recommendation 1. She will not, or maybe can not, secure amendments to the Bill. She tells us that instead of a formal procedure, the Senedd will be given an opportunity to express a view, and only then where time allows. Well, this doesn't go far enough, and will be of no reassurance to members of our committee, or indeed Members of the wider Senedd, and yes, I know you're going to call me to order because time has passed.

So, look, this is a significant and wide-ranging Bill, covering a key devolved policy area. It will affect all our constituents. But I'm afraid it's becoming apparent that the Welsh Government is using the LCM process as some sort of means of brokering an agreement between inter-governmental negotiations, rather than being about agreements between the legislatures. It can't be right that the Member of Parliament for Orkney and Shetland will be able to scrutinise environmental policy for Wales, which is supposedly devolved, where Members of the Senedd for Monmouth, Ceredigion and Aberconwy cannot.