<p>The UK Government’s Policy Paper, ‘Safeguarding the Position of EU Citizens in the UK and UK Nationals in the EU’</p>

Part of 3. 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 2:41 pm on 5 July 2017.

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Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 2:41, 5 July 2017

I thank Eluned Morgan for both parts of what she said. She’s absolutely right about the NHS—the NHS in Wales would not survive without the good fortune that people in Wales have that we are able to attract people from other parts of the world who are willing to commit their futures to be part of our future. It’s absolutely right that we should recognise that and be prepared to say that directly to people who live and work in our communities.

I am aware of the point she makes about the potential technical flaw in relation to the article 50 legislation. I know that there are groups of lawyers—there is one in my own Constituency who has argued very much that there is a technical problem with the Act of Parliament that passed at the UK level. I know that they have taken this view to the Commission and I know that it is shared by some very senior previous Law Lords, for example. The Counsel General is in the Chamber and will have heard that point and we’ll make sure that we get a view from Welsh Government lawyers. When I have looked at this and had people come to see me, I often end up saying to them that I wonder whether they are mistaking the law for the politics of this matter, and whether, even if there is a technical flaw in the way that the Act may have been put together, the political Majority that was in favour of the purpose of that Act will not, in the end, be held to be more significant.

majority

The term "majority" is used in two ways in Parliament. Firstly a Government cannot operate effectively unless it can command a majority in the House of Commons - a majority means winning more than 50% of the votes in a division. Should a Government fail to hold the confidence of the House, it has to hold a General Election. Secondly the term can also be used in an election, where it refers to the margin which the candidate with the most votes has over the candidate coming second. To win a seat a candidate need only have a majority of 1.

constituency

In a general election, each Constituency chooses an MP to represent them. MPs have a responsibility to represnt the views of the Constituency in the House of Commons. There are 650 Constituencies, and thus 650 MPs. A citizen of a Constituency is known as a Constituent