, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General
I can only repeat what I've just said, and no doubt the Member has heard what I've said. That's clearly what the law says. I would, again, suggest to him that it might be better to wait for the outcome of the consultation and then to decide was it a fair…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General
I thank her for that further question, but the truth is that the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care has been very clear that any proposals for service change must be informed by evidence and with full regard to quality, safety and patient experience. In…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General
I thank the Member for that question. I am aware of her concerns with regard to reconfiguration in the area she represents, but it is up to local health boards, as they are responsible for service reconfiguration decisions and for engaging with communities…
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
Wildlife.
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
Yes.
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
I don't want Mr Mason to leave feeling aggrieved; when the late Dr Robyn Léwis produced his volumes, he was awarded a PhD from the University of Bangor. So, that makes amends, I hope. [Laughter.]
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
I'm sorry to interrupt you in full flow.
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
May I make one comment?
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
Yes. It has been a live discussion and, obviously, given the pressures on the legislature in any event and on our counsel and legal services, if it's possible to do it without legislating, provided we take the Senedd with us and have the necessary…
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
On that question of the errors, I know that Mr Fox raised this in the committee as well, and he was quite right to do so. It isn't a good story to tell. There have been errors made in the past, but we should also say that some of the differences relate to…
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
Sorry.
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
[Inaudible.]—of Aberystwyth University, I fully support what he said.
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
And, of course, what is mentioned now has changed in a revolutionary manner since the late Dr Robin Léwis prepared his textbooks. I remember a time when Welsh speakers never dared; lawyers, now, standing up in court to speak Welsh, not being used to it. After…
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
Well, we do legislate bilingually, of course, and the resources are available to ensure that people know that the Welsh language version is at the same level as the English version, and that they're available. Probably the most important thing is that we go…
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
Part of my duties is to ensure the accessibility of Welsh law, and the principles, of course, are that the law has to be clear, understandable and easy to access. Those are the three drivers. It certainly does touch on matters such as ensuring that…
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
Well, it's one of our policy areas that we feel very strongly about, quite clearly. We would like to see a statutory basis for the Sewel convention, in a perfect world. Meantime, a well-worded, strong memorandum of understanding is required, in our view. I…
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
Well, I think the first thing to say, Chair, is this: there have been unfortunate examples of late where the information required has not come through to us and, therefore, we can't impart it to the Senedd, and, therefore, there are complaints that LCMs are…
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
I think the short answer to that, Mr Thomas, is this: we need better co-operation, and, in doing that, we need to engage thoroughly with our colleagues in London at an early stage. There have been unfortunate examples quite recently—they're truly unfortunate…
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
Exceptional circumstances would mean, for example, where you have a UK Government suggesting something to Wales that is of value to us here in Wales and something that is 100 per cent in line with our aims and therefore we shouldn't have to legislate anew on…
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
I'm aware, Chair, that Dylan Hughes has just been to Singapore. So over to you, Mr Hughes. [Laughter.]
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
The point is well made, because backbenchers have a right to legislate as well, and we need to observe that. The question is capacity. You have to consider in any 12-month period, first of all, or 24-month period, how many there will be of those backbench…
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
This has been discussed at Cabinet level. We did not want to create any kind of a two-tier system, and a great deal of thought, now, is being put into urban deprivation, basically. And we know the context of rural-proofing, but there is also a duty to look at…
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
Well, I think we'll have to find it, because it appears that there won't be major, wide-ranging changes because the legislation is there already. What we're talking about, more than likely, is secondary legislation, so there'll be some level of change, and I…
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
It was a question for me but answered by you. No, no, I don't want to be—. I am aware that there are several pieces of legislation that have already been passed and we'll have to look on a case-by-case basis at each one of those and go through them. Of…
, Legislation Committee
General Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
Sure.
