(Title Image: Elliot Brown via Flickr)
In a letter to the First Minister (pdf), the Chair of the Constitutional Affairs Committee, Mick Antoniw AM (Lab, Pontypridd), has criticised how the Welsh Government have approached Brexit-related regulations.
Echoing comments made by Committee chairs towards the end of 2018, Mick Antoniw accepts that while Brexit has placed enormous pressure on the legislative timetable – resulting in difficult decisions being made – the Senedd’s legislative role has been diminished.
“We accept that Brexit is resulting in the need for difficult decisions to be taken but we believe that the Welsh Government has become over-reliant on the UK Government to legislate on its behalf. While we accept that the intention is not to limit or frustrate the Assembly’s role as a legislature that is, unfortunately, becoming the reality….one of the unintended consequences of this approach has been the Welsh Ministers consenting to a reduction in the National Assembly’s legislative competence.”
– Chair of the Constitutional Affairs Committee, Mick Antoniw AM
The Chair went on to say that allowing the UK Government to legislate on Wales’ behalf was worse for scrutiny than the Senedd’s own fast track procedure – which would’ve at least allowed for a debate on the principle of various Brexit Bills and regulations.
