, Plenary
Legislative Consent Motion on the Rating (Coronavirus) and Directors Disqualifications (Dissolved Companies) Bill
Welsh provisions have been added to this Bill without any opportunity for real scrutiny in this place. This also means that the Bill will not be bilingual, that it will not form a part of Welsh law—and in that regard, it is less accessible and confuses the…
, Plenary
Legislative Consent Motion on the Rating (Coronavirus) and Directors Disqualifications (Dissolved Companies) Bill
The Minister's comments about the Bill aligning with England further undermine devolution by suggesting, as the Chair mentioned, that following England is the norm. With the Westminster Government flexing its muscular unionism, with us here hearing, quite…
, Plenary
Legislative Consent Motion on the Rating (Coronavirus) and Directors Disqualifications (Dissolved Companies) Bill
Why is the UK Government expected to consult with the Welsh Government in introducing a Bill that relates to England only, in an area that is devolved to Wales? It's the role of the Welsh Parliament to pass legislation in devolved areas. It's not the role of…
, Plenary
Legislative Consent Motion on the Rating (Coronavirus) and Directors Disqualifications (Dissolved Companies) Bill
The committee has asked a series of important questions, not to be awkward, Minister, not to ask questions for the sake of asking questions, but because that is the role of the committee, and it's the duty of the Minister to answer those questions, especially…
, Plenary
Legislative Consent Motion on the Rating (Coronavirus) and Directors Disqualifications (Dissolved Companies) Bill
May I start by saying that I agree entirely with the comments made by the committee Chair? And I thank him and the clerking team for all the work that they do. May I also say that this is a concern not only for your department, Minister, but for many other…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
—on reaching the higher ground, the higher common ground, and I hope other parties will follow that, but I am sure others will try and pull it down later on in this session. The commitment to try and achieve net zero by 2035 is such an important part of the…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
—congratulate you and Adam Price—
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Prif Weinidog, last night, I watched with my one-year-old daughter an episode of Peppa Pig, the cartoon that inspired the Prime Minister after a visit to a theme park. I'm not so much of a fan as the Prime Minister, but Peppa did have some wise words in last…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
The Commission on Justice in Wales report: Evidence session with Lord Thomas
Diolch. Thank you.
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
The Commission on Justice in Wales report: Evidence session with Lord Thomas
Thank you for that, Lord Thomas. I'm just interested in what you said about Qatar. It ties into our evidence from Sir Wyn a few weeks ago, where some issues were raised about how remote hearings have caused difficulty with regard to access to justice. There's…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
The Commission on Justice in Wales report: Evidence session with Lord Thomas
Since your commission was published, Lord Thomas, do you think the Welsh Government has taken the legal sector in Wales more seriously, and the economic benefit of the legal sector in Wales, and what more could they do?
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
The Commission on Justice in Wales report: Evidence session with Lord Thomas
Diolch, Gadeirydd. Following on from Alun's question, really, about the impact of COVID, I wanted to deal briefly with the impact of COVID on the legal sector. You mentioned that some of the large commercial firms have had an excellent year financially, but I…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
The Commission on Justice in Wales report: Evidence session with Lord Thomas
Thank you very much. My final question for now, Lord Thomas, is on another recommendation that has been implemented, the establishment of the Law Council of Wales. And, with the assistance of the Law Society in providing the secretariat, they've held their…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
The Commission on Justice in Wales report: Evidence session with Lord Thomas
Thank you, Lord Thomas. You mentioned the judiciary and, in your report, you saw a crucial role for the judiciary to lead these boards and to assist with the justice system in Wales. You mentioned us liaising with the lord chief justice. Is that the best way…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
The Commission on Justice in Wales report: Evidence session with Lord Thomas
Thank you very much. Now, one recommendation that was taken up fairly quickly was to bring justice into this committee. As you mentioned, this committee has a huge remit, but we do try to cover as many justice issues as possible. We had an excellent witness…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
The Commission on Justice in Wales report: Evidence session with Lord Thomas
Thank you. I'd like to move on, later on, to the scrutiny role of the Senedd, but before I move there, I just want to discuss briefly the accountability of Welsh Government. You said in your report quite clearly that there was a lack of leadership and…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
The Commission on Justice in Wales report: Evidence session with Lord Thomas
Diolch yn fawr, Gadeirydd. Lord Thomas, the first question I wanted to ask was: what discussions have you had with Welsh Government following the publication of your report, and as we go out of COVID, have you been in discussions with them about what areas…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: Update on the Constitutional Commission
I am looking forward to seeing this commission engaging with people constructively across Wales. It is important to ensure that the future of Wales is in the hands of the Welsh people. Plaid Cymru, of course, still believes Wales can and Wales will be an…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: Update on the Constitutional Commission
Counsel General, as regards the expert panel, how they will be appointed, and when do you believe they will be appointed? And I note that the secretariat will be separate from the civil service, but can we ensure that the secretariat does receive support and…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: Update on the Constitutional Commission
—Counsel General, a more deliberative democracy does cost money. So, will the Counsel General commit to making sure that the commission is resourced sufficiently to enable the wider conversation that we want to happen to happen? Lauren McEvatt, the…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: Update on the Constitutional Commission
This is a very striking collection of commissioners who have broad ranging experience. I'm very pleased that this is the most diverse commission that we have seen in Wales to date, and it's encouraging to see more women than men as members of the commission…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: Update on the Constitutional Commission
There is no doubt that devolution in Wales has been a journey; it's been a long one. If you think of it for a moment, with our environmental hats on, as a rail journey from London—and the Llywydd will be pleased with this—to Aberystwyth. Now, there are very…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: Update on the Constitutional Commission
I'd like to thank you, Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution, for your statement this afternoon.
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Prif Weinidog, I share Mike Hedges's ambition, and agree with you with regard to the economic benefit of the real living wage. I'm dismayed by the Conservatives' comments, always trying to pit people against each other—it's sad and it's totally unnecessary…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Thank you, Minister, for your responses so far. As you know, 20 per cent of the people of Cardiff come from BAME backgrounds, and, as you've already mentioned, it's crucial that children in these communities are represented in the curriculum and within the…
