26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
Well, what we did want was that it be formalised so that it was on the face of the Bill, on the face of the legislation itself. So, what we actually have is not that, but, basically, commitments that were made in correspondence and which have now been put…
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
Yes, I can. I'll turn to Tom in a minute, as the expert in a lot of these things that are happening at the moment. But, within the four areas, obviously, there is a lot of engagement with retained EU law, up until the point when the blanket sunset…
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
Well, I'd be happy to consider any recommendations you've got on that, because we want to have a statute book and a legislative framework that is as clear, as transparent and as robust as is possible.
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
Yes, it's a good question. I'm not sure I have a very adequate answer on that, only that, with the minor ones that occur, I think, slips and so on are there, if they are generally inconsequential, as a way of dealing with them. I think consolidation is the…
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
Well, I discuss with the drafters, when we meet on legislation and so on, and the issues that arise from it—why is it happening? What can be done to ensure that these things are identified and corrected before the legislation is in place? It certainly is the…
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
I'm a utopian idealist as far as legislation exists. What I would say is that what we've been through in the past few years, with the actual scale and pace at which we've had to legislate, and particularly with secondary legislation—I think that clearly…
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
We want to achieve perfection and we want to achieve legislation that doesn't require any corrections whatsoever—
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
Well, the first thing I'd say is that I'd never be content with any errors that occur—
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
Well, I think with legislation and with complex legislation and the volume of legislation and the pace of legislation, there are—. I think there are always going to be—. I mean, there are checks and so on that are in place, but part of the scrutiny process is…
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
So, I know the First Minister will no doubt make his legislative statement in—is it June or July the statement is made? We'll obviously have a new First Minister by then. But all the work on the planning Bill is going apace, and it is a—. You know, it's…
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
Yes. I'm hoping it will be a year 4 piece of legislation.
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
—but it is an ongoing, rolling programme.
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
The most immediate piece of consolidation, which I actually think is probably one of the most important pieces of legislation we'll have brought in this Senedd, is the consolidation of planning law, which will produce a consolidated Bill of 450 pages, but at…
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
Okay. Well, we are in sort of regular engagement with the Law Commission over the consolidation programme, and, of course, you will have had my 'The future of Welsh law: A programme for 2021 to 2026' paper.
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
I think the answer to the question is this: in all those areas, even where that happens, the way forward on them is consolidation Bills, which will then take the bits of legislation that may be within the UK Government Bills and Welsh legislation, rather than…
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
—but it is part of the constitutional structure we have that it has a number of anomalies within it.
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
—then it is a different process and it is not a process that the Senedd Members have that direct control over, going through Stages 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the legislative process. But what I'd say is that I think those are normally exceptional reasons. I do…
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
Listen, absolutely. If UK Government is legislating in an area that the Senedd could potentially legislate in—
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
Yes.
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
It would be helpful if you could identify the particular areas, but it’s certainly going to be exceptional in the scheme of legislation. It’s certainly not about doing that. Anything where the UK Government ends up legislating in an area that is devolved et…
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
If you can give me the examples, then I will happily try and respond to those particular examples and the circumstances of them. But there’s certainly no question of a situation where the motivation to do anything legislatively is in order to avoid scrutiny…
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
I think there are very few circumstances where we actually seek to go to the UK Government to say, ‘Will you legislate on our behalf in this area?’
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
There are areas where there's been good engagement. One area where I think the engagement has been very good and where I think the inter-ministerial group worked very well was on the UK Government's Elections Bill. There clearly were bits there that we…
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
Intravenous refreshing, maybe.
26 Chwefror 2024 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Sesiwn graffu gyda’r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad
It's certainly the case that Sewel is wounded at the moment. I've always been of the view that Sewel needs to be put on a justiciable basis in order to make it work properly and to give it the security that is needed. Of course, the first major breach was on…
