Part of the debate – Senedd Cymru am 5:43 pm ar 28 Mawrth 2023.
I'm going to keep my comments brief on this item this afternoon, and I think that some of my comments have actually been prefigured by the remarks of the Minister, and, indeed, my fellow Chair, John Griffiths.
When we spoke last month, during the first debate we had on a legislative consent motion for this Bill, I focused on the large number of memoranda laid by the Welsh Government—it's something that the Minister mentioned as well. We are, as the Minister says, up to number six on this Bill, and I just repeat that this demonstrates the extent to which the Bill introduced to the UK Parliament has changed since its introduction, and the extent to which such changes impact on devolved areas too. And I think that the Minister acknowledged that.
We have really welcomed the Minister’s action to lay memorandum No. 6 before the Senedd. Whilst we acknowledge it is, of course, a requirement of our Standing Orders, it also assists all of us in ensuring that greater transparency is given to a process of legislating that is, well, it's sub-optimal—it's filled with deficiencies from a devolved legislature point of view. However, the fact that the Senedd has already been asked to make a decision on whether to give consent to the Bill’s relevant provisions because, as the Minister said, of the point at which the Bill was in the UK Parliament’s scrutiny process, again highlights the inadequacies of enabling a different Parliament to legislate for Wales on matters within the Senedd’s legislative competence. I sound like a broken record, but it's for a purpose. And I wonder, Minister—. It was good to hear that you've written to Michael Gove on these matters, and I'm sure you'll have raised it with him, but it would be helpful to hear any other reflections you have on this and the way we go forward.
But, in closing, can I briefly highlight that the amendments that triggered the laying of memorandum No. 6 relate to professional qualifications, and, as we understand it, new professional qualifications standards in England may fall under the ambit of Part 3 of the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020? That's quite interesting. Diolch yn fawr iawn.