9. Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: Update on the Constitutional Commission

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:07 pm on 16 November 2021.

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Photo of Mick Antoniw Mick Antoniw Labour 6:07, 16 November 2021

Can I thank the Member for his comments and contributions? We have indeed been on a devolution journey that continues, and society continually changes. Constitutions continually change. Nothing remains static. You asked a number of quite important questions. The expert panel in terms of the size, and so on, I think I'll probably put out a written statement in due course when there's further information on that. Obviously, it's very important that the members of the commission and the co-chairs are inputting into the design of that, because it is partly dependent on the framework of the engagement process—the strategic plan that they will be developing in terms of how they will carry out their work. But it is an additional opportunity in terms of additional skills and diversity to input into that. But the commission is the body that will be taking the key decisions. 

Can I just say, I'm very pleased that the Wales TUC's Shavanah Taj has joined the commission, because representing something like 0.5 million trade union members within Wales, their input is really, really significant, and they are, of course, having their own commission? So, there is a natural interlink there.

I agree with you also, in terms of the considerations in terms of funding, that it has to be able to do its job properly to engage, otherwise there is no purpose to setting up the commission. 

I agree very much with some of the comments that I think were leading to, I suppose, some of the comments that one of the co-chairs, Laura McAllister, has made recently publicly, which is that this puts us on the front foot. It enables us to be in the position, when we know change is occurring, change is happening—we can see that all around us, not just in Westminster, perhaps globally and certainly on the European scene as well—for once, where what's important is that, from Wales, we are able to put forward our position, that we are not solely reactive to events and decisions that are being taken elsewhere. And it seems to me that is a sign of the maturity of the politics and democracy that are developing within Wales. 

Can I just finish on a point of, I suppose, unity, and so on, with two particular quotes? One was,

'Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common'.

Of course, that was Winston Churchill. And the other is,

'When everyone is included, everyone wins', and that was Jesse Jackson. Diolch, Llywydd.