Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:24 pm on 24 January 2017.
Steffan Lewis
Plaid Cymru
4:24,
24 January 2017
I welcome today’s statement and I’m very pleased that Wales has a clear, reasonable and creative voice on this vital issue. I’m very pleased that Plaid Cymru has played a central role in this. Could I also agree with the comments of the Torfaen Member? This is such an important issue that it’s vital for us to come together for the benefit of our nation.
Of course, at the core of this is our economic benefit and interests and our constitutional interests as well. In the very brief time today, I’d like to focus my questions on the aspects of the white paper where the Government and the Assembly have the authority to act immediately. For example, page 26 mentions creating a constitutional convention to redraw the British constitution to be a more federal system. Is it the intention, therefore, of the Government to propose this formally in the joint ministerial committee on Monday, or perhaps in the future? Or is the First Minister considering going further and having his own summit and inviting the other Governments in order to start the work on the constitutional convention?
Page 28 broaches the issue of this Assembly legislating if the great repeal Bill in Westminster does interfere with the Welsh constitution. We had evidence yesterday in the External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee by the Cabinet Secretary for finance, who said that the Welsh Government lawyers were discussing the process with the Westminster lawyers at present on the great repeal Bill. When does the First Minister believe that we will see political Intervention, or political collaboration, between the two Governments?
Page 23 notes the importance of renewing our relationship with the Republic of Ireland. I’m pleased that the First Minister mentioned this in his statement as well, and drew attention to the future of our ports, and the INTERREG project between the two nations. When does he intend to start the process of renewing our relationship with the Republic of Ireland? The Assembly has powers, and the Government has powers, already to have that kind of relationship. Is he intending to meet the Taoiseach in the near future to achieve this? In the same section, on page 23, there is a wish to strengthen Wales’s profile on the international stage. Could I ask the First Minister to publish a draft international policy that is comprehensive so that we can discuss it in this Assembly? It could focus on trade and attracting investment to Wales, but also a vision for a broader, outward-looking Wales, drawing attention to the political context as we leave the European Union.
Finally, many objectives in the White Paper are to do with keeping Wales part of projects that are open to non-EU member states, and many of them are to do with issues that are devolved. Therefore, what discussions is the First Minister intending to have in the near future to keep Wales, for example, a part of schemes such as Erasmus+ and Euro-Plus?
Could I finish by thanking the First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary for finance for their collaboration and co-operation over this recent period so that we could come together to create a national White Paper and, by doing so, project a clear, national voice at this very important time for Wales?
A document issued by the Government laying out its policy, or proposed policy, on a topic of current concern.Although a white paper may occasion consultation as to the details of new legislation, it does signify a clear intention on the part of a government to pass new law. This is a contrast with green papers, which are issued less frequently, are more open-ended and may merely propose a strategy to be implemented in the details of other legislation.
More from wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_paper
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
An intervention is when the MP making a speech is interrupted by another MP and asked to 'give way' to allow the other MP to intervene on the speech to ask a question or comment on what has just been said.
