Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 7:01 pm on 28 March 2023.
First of all, with the EU legislation, of course, there was scrutiny and it was scrutinised within Parliament. But secondly, the point that we particularly make here is that all this legislation is not going to be scrutinised by the UK Government, it is giving authoritarian powers to UK Government Ministers, and, indeed, to Welsh Ministers, and that has got to be unacceptable. It is certainly not taking back control. This is what David Davis, Brexit campaigner and former Brexit Secretary, said:
'we are being asked to sign a blank cheque—one might almost say a pig in a poke—because we do not even know how many pieces of legislation are going through on the back of this Bill, let alone what they are. That, of course, is not democratic.'
You said the UK Government have already looked at 18 per cent of the Bills. What about the remaining 3,800 pieces of legislation that no-one has a clue what they mean, what the contain and how they will be relevant? That has to be done by the end of December.
In respect of the comments made by Rhys ab Owen and Huw, I have, of course, given detailed responses in writing to the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee, and I will, of course, no doubt give further sessions. But, of course, one of the concerns we do have is the impact all of this will have on our own legislative capacity, on the demands that will be on the Senedd. I have to say that the task, as expressed by the Welsh Government and by the Scottish Government, is an almost impossible task, and that is also something that is recognised in Parliament.