Brexit continues to dominate the political agenda in Wales this week, as First Minister Carwyn Jones warned that challenging a High Court ruling that Parliament should be consulted over leaving the EU, would be a mistake.
This comes following the recent judicial decision that the UK Government could not trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty without the approval of MPs. Pro-Brexit Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies has labelled the decision an “unnecessary distraction”. While Plaid Cymru MP Jonathan Edwards, the only Welsh MP to be recently appointed to the new Parliamentary Brexit committee, has welcomed the ruling and called for the Assembly and other devolved nations to have a say on the terms and timing of Brexit.
As the Assembly returned from half term recess, the First Minister updated Assembly Members on the Welsh Government’s approach to Brexit, reiterating his priority of “free and unfettered” access to the single market.
Meanwhile, the Assembly’s External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee has begun consulting with stakeholders on the implications of Britain exiting the European Union for Wales. The consultation will focus on determining what the top priority should be for Wales in advance of the UK Government’s triggering of Article 50, and identifying examples where converting all of current EU law provisions into British law through the Great Repeal Bill, will have particular implications for Wales. Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood has argued that a vote to leave the EU has given impetus for the establishment of a distinct Welsh legal system, in order to face the upcoming “constitutional upheaval” of scrutinising and repealing a significant amount of legislation when repatriating powers from Brussels.
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With the UK Government coming under renewed pressure to reveal details of the commitments that it gave to Nissan ahead of the announcement that it would build two new models in Britain, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure Ken Skates has written to his counterpart in Westminster Greg Clark, seeking clarification on the “support and assurances” that were given to the company, arguing that the terms of Brexit must not be handled on a piecemeal, factory by factory basis.
With local government reform back on the agenda, Cabinet Secretary Mark Drakeford has issued a message to Council Leaders, that agreement on his reform strategy must be made by the end of 2016. Original proposals to cut the number of local authorities in Wales from 22 to 8 or 9, attracted much opposition from councils themselves as well as cross party Assembly Members. The Welsh Government instead want key services to be delivered on a regional basis.
Finally, Health Secretary Vaughan Gething this week announced a parliamentary review into health and social care services in Wales. A panel comprised of specialists from across the health and social care spectrum is tasked with drawing up the likely challenges for NHS Wales over the coming years, in order to assess options and make recommendations for its future sustainability. The NHS budget is also to receive more than £68m from Welsh Government reserves, to cover overspends by two Local Health Boards, both of whom are expected to go over budget in the 2016-17 financial year.