, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
It could be a short answer. The United Kingdom's departure from the European Union should have resulted in enhanced devolved competence. Instead, the UK Government's unacceptable imposition of legislative constraints on the devolved institutions and its…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Perhaps if I just take the last googly that you gave me right at the end there, I can tell you I've not been chastised by anyone. I have stated it at every opportunity I get, whether at UK level, England level or whatever, and I will be doing it in front of…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Firstly, thank you for your question. Yes, I am aware of the Scottish paper. I have read it. It's 38 pages. I don't think it adds anything further to what we know in terms of the Scottish Government's position. The Scottish Government have their own mandate…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Can I firstly say that, in respect of the overwhelming majority of lawyers that I've dealt with, many of whom practice just in England, though some have practiced both in England and Wales, and some just practice in Wales as well, none of those actually see…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Thank you. I think the question is one that we've addressed on quite a number of occasions, and continue to address. My engagement with the legal profession and legal institutions is to make it absolutely clear that we're not talking about reforms that lead…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Thank you. It is a good question. The answer to it, really, is because what has been implemented in England I don't think has been thought through very well. We want to support access into the legal profession, we want to support increased social mobility and…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Our concerns about the changes that have been made have been well made, both in discussions and in correspondence. As we are aware, policing is a reserved matter, and as I've already said, we were not engaged. The Public Order Act 2023 includes powers that we…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Thank you for your question. The amendments to the Public Order Act 1986 concern reserved matters, and the UK Government did not inform us of their intention to give the police yet further powers in relation to protests. It is vital that people have the right…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Thank you for your supplementary question, and I very much do welcome the report. It's not appropriate for me to respond to that report, because it'll obviously be going for debate in the Siambr and also before the Minister for Social Justice, I understand…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Thank you for your question. I have not yet had discussions with the Magistrates Association on this issue. However, a Wales youth justice academic advisory group is currently reviewing the opportunities that arise from youth justice devolution, at our…
, Plenary
Legislative Consent Motion on the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill
You're absolutely right to correct me on that, and I do apologise for the misrepresentation. It is absolutely right. One of the problems with this process—. I get the letter on 19 May saying, 'Will you consent to these amendments?' On 23 May, the UK…
, Plenary
Legislative Consent Motion on the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill
Certainly.
, Plenary
Legislative Consent Motion on the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill
Diolch, Llywydd. Perhaps if I start, first of all, with responding to Darren's comments. You're correct, Darren—I'm not surprised that you are supporting the issue of legislative consent. In fact, you were supporting legislative consent when it did include…
, Plenary
Legislative Consent Motion on the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill
I move the motion. Deputy Llywydd, I welcome this opportunity for the Senedd to debate the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill again, albeit at very short notice and in the middle of ping-pong between the two Houses of Parliament, which the UK…
, Plenary
Motion to suspend Standing Orders
I move the motion formally.
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: The Public Order Act—Implications for Wales
Thank you. I can confirm that, obviously, those sorts of discussions and engagements are there, because although this Act is a reserved matter, the consequences of it and the broader responsibility we have for the general freedoms and civic rights of our…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: The Public Order Act—Implications for Wales
Thank you for the question. Just on that last point, I cannot recall the number of occasions when the issue of the devolution of justice has been made. It's in the Thomas commission. It's made in correspondence. It's made in inter-ministerial meetings. It's…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: The Public Order Act—Implications for Wales
Thank you for those further questions. You’re absolutely right about the contradictions in terms of the devolution of policing. We even have one of the Members opposite who wants to become the mayor of London where policing is devolved, but to prevent…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: The Public Order Act—Implications for Wales
Well, thank you for your comments. I don't think that I can be any clearer that my view is that all oppressive legislation that has been brought in by this Government needs to be understood and it needs to be revoked—it needs to be repealed. I think that is…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: The Public Order Act—Implications for Wales
I agree with all the Member's comments. I do agree that there does need to be a review, because oppressive legislation has crept in to a whole variety of pieces of legislation over the course of the past decade or so of this Conservative Government. We have…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: The Public Order Act—Implications for Wales
Thank you for those questions. I will do my best to answer them within my capacity. Can I just start off by saying that the issue of freedom and democracy is something that should apply across the board to all parties? And it is an issue of statesmanship when…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: The Public Order Act—Implications for Wales
Can I thank the Member for a very detailed response and series of questions? I could say that, if you actually want the answer to most of the points about devolution of justice, you only need to read the paper that we produced called 'Delivering Justice for…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: The Public Order Act—Implications for Wales
Dirprwy Lywydd, we believe in a democracy where people have freedoms and the right to speak out against authority, to make their views heard, and to argue for change. Our stance supporting this important civil right has been consistently reflected in…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: The Public Order Act—Implications for Wales
Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. I am pleased to make a statement on the impact of the Public Order Act 2023 on Wales. The Act was passed on 2 May. Specific public protest measures within the Act commenced on 3 May. This included new offences relating to locking…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Well, can I first of all thank the Member for his continual and consistent advocacy of the rights of those people who are victims of major tragedies? Can I also make the comment, and it's one that I've made before, that the real answer to this is the fact…
