5. Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: The Constitutional Commission

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:00 pm on 19 October 2021.

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Photo of Mick Antoniw Mick Antoniw Labour 5:00, 19 October 2021

Can I thank the Member for his comments? He says, 'Why now?' Well, if not now, when? Because when you are facing change, when you are facing dysfunction, when you are facing the inclarity in the decision-making process, the inclarity in the financial arrangements, and that situation impacts on the lives of people of Wales, when also it impacts on the democratic mandate the Government has and intrudes upon that, then it is necessary to address something that is a longstanding process of dysfunction, which, cross-party—even people like Sir Bernard Jenkin recognise the need for constitutional change. 

In terms of all the other issues, well, I would have thought the Member might spend his time better if he were to refer to the wasted £500 million of the UK Government on failed privatisation of probation, or maybe the wasted £3 billion on NHS reorganisation, or the wasted £240 million on free school places in England, places that weren't needed, or maybe the £2 billion to companies with links to the Conservative party, or the UK Government that spends £400,000 having chauffeurs driving red boxes around London to Ministers, maybe the £156 million on a contract for ineffective personal protective equipment, or maybe, as The New York Times analysis found, that, of £22 billion of UK Government contracts, £11 billion went to companies that it says were run by friends and associates of politicians in the Conservative party with no prior experience. Now, if you really want to talk about the issues of the economy and the use of public funds, those are the issues that I think you should actually really be addressing.

What we are doing is defending and developing Welsh democracy, but democracy with a very clear objective that allows you to participate, as it does every single party in this Senedd, and, indeed, any group and civic organisation throughout Wales. I would hope that you would actually welcome what is being done, that it is something that is positive and it is something that is looking to the future of Wales, something that we all have a direct interest in, rather than making what I think are points that really are just not relevant to the issues and the spirit of the debate that we've had up til now.