, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: Tribunal reform and Wales’s evolving justice landscape
Thank you for the question, and I welcome the comments you make in terms of exclusions, because that is very much recognised; an exclusion is something that has a very dramatic impact on a young person, and I think it is absolutely appropriate that there…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: Tribunal reform and Wales’s evolving justice landscape
Thank you for the various comments you’ve made, and I agree with the general comments you make about the linkage between the justice system as a whole, and that our tribunals are actually part and parcel of that. So, taking it steps at a time, I think…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: Tribunal reform and Wales’s evolving justice landscape
Thank you for the variety of questions, and thank you for the detail and the consideration you’ve given to the report. I think it recognises the importance of these proposals, so I’m very grateful for the fact that you support the logic in terms of the…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: Tribunal reform and Wales’s evolving justice landscape
In particular, we are making important progress in the area of justice where we have the most control, namely the devolved tribunals. Most Members will be familiar with the fact that the operation of a number of tribunals is devolved to Wales in areas such as…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: Tribunal reform and Wales’s evolving justice landscape
Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd. A fair and effective justice system and the rule of law are the cornerstones of our democracy. The Commission on Justice in Wales, chaired by Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, captured the crux of the matter when it stated…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Devolution of justice and policing
I can assure you, during all the work that takes place in terms of discussions when there are amendments and motions going through, particularly, the House of Lords, those positions are made very, very clear. The implication of the motion that somehow we've…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Devolution of justice and policing
Yes, certainly.
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Devolution of justice and policing
Well, I think it was made clear by the First Minister yesterday, and I think it's clear to everyone here, that that was a comment from a Conservative Minister in the Lords that is totally unfounded and completely untrue.
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Devolution of justice and policing
Yes, I will.
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Devolution of justice and policing
Keir Starmer has given a commitment of support to the Gordon Brown report. The Gordon Brown report makes it absolutely clear that there are no powers that, for example, there are in Scotland that Wales cannot also have. What he did do, which I think was very…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Devolution of justice and policing
Yes, I will.
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Devolution of justice and policing
Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd, and can I thank Plaid Cymru for bringing forward this important debate? I do welcome the opportunity to discuss and keep attention on these issues. I obviously congratulate Rhun on his first major speech on this issue as leader of…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Devolution of justice and policing
Formally.
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Well, thank you for those important comments. Can I just say, I've been having a lot of discussions in many legal fora in the whole area of justice, social justice, accessibility and devolution of justice? The issue of jurisdiction is one that frequently…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Thank you for your question. Accuracy and clarity are crucial to all aspects of the law, including future jurisdictional arrangements. The current terminology of an England-and-Wales jurisdiction does not reflect the reality that, clearly, the law here is…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Can I thank you? And the point you make, of course, is that those aspects of the UK Government's Elections Act 2022 were another example of the UK Government diverging from what was the previous consensus around the format of elections. It's created…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Thank you. The Welsh Government is committed to inclusive and accessible voting in Senedd and local government elections, and wants to encourage participation rather than to restrict it. That is why we don’t support voter ID and want to introduce automatic…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Well, can I say that it is only in, really, the last couple of years that we have seen what is a major series of breaches of the Sewel convention? It is suggested from time to time that, of course, these are all only related to constitutional issues around…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Thank you for your question. The inter-governmental relations review provides a sound basis to support inter-governmental working, but its impact continues to be undermined by the UK Government’s lack of respect for the principles and approach set out in the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Well, can I firstly say that the supplementary question, it doesn't seem to me, actually particularly relates to the issue of Senedd reform? Can I say that, in respect of the point you raised in terms of a privileges committee, that is a matter for the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Thank you for your question. We continue to make good progress on translating the recommendations of the special purpose committee on Senedd reform into legislative provisions. As part of the co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru, I look forward to…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
I think the biggest difference was actually in the increase in the registration that took place. Those who took up the offer of support for electoral registration support officers almost unanimously suffered significant increases in the number of…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Thank you for your question. Just to make one point, of course, voter turnout in the 2021 Senedd elections was the highest ever with the wider franchise of eligible voters. However, it is still not high enough and there's still important work that needs to be…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Thank you for your question. Turnout is lower than we would want it to be. Having enfranchised more people than ever to take part in devolved elections, we are now working to encourage participation, as outlined in our electoral administration and reform…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Well, can I refer you to the response to those particular issues that the First Minister gave yesterday, and on the advances and progress that have been made in terms of the employment situation within Wales? Can I also say that, yes, as we come across that…
