Group 8: Socially responsible procurement duty (Amendments 4, 1)

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:29 pm on 7 March 2023.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Jenny Rathbone Jenny Rathbone Labour 6:29, 7 March 2023

This raises quite a significant issue. Obviously, what the Plaid Cymru amendment aspires to is something that I regard as extremely important. But it also illustrates the limits of our powers. As a Welsh Parliament, we can legislate for the benefit of Wales, but we can't override international agreements, and some of the international agreements have already been mentioned today, namely the one that has been signed with Australia and New Zealand. And were relations with China to break down to such an extent that the meat and dairy arrangements that Australia and New Zealand have with China could immediately lead to the redirection of all those products to our island and to Wales, quite how we would defend ourselves from that is an open question. And it certainly would beg the question as to how public bodies that have to be compliant with the well-being of future generations Act would respond in relation to both our global responsibilities as well as our need to promote a prosperous, resilient, healthier Wales. But I understand that we can't also be legislating on something that would give people in another place an opportunity to interfere with what we are aspiring to do. So, I find this a really difficult and problematic issue that we're going to have to resolve further down the line, I think, because it seems to me that, if we vote for this, then we may put the whole Bill at risk.