"Labour and Plaid's veto proposal is jeopardising Welsh devolution"

Cymraeg
English

Kirsty Williams AM <info@kirstywilliams.org.uk>

"Labour and Plaid's veto proposal is jeopardising Welsh devolution" - Kirsty

March 13, 2009 12:00 AM

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have tabled a motion in the House of Lords to stop Labour and Plaid Cymru from further undermining the Welsh devolution settlement.

After a Joint Committee in Westminster warned that the Secretary of State for Wales' 'veto' over Housing powers coming to Wales could be unlawful, the Welsh Liberal Democrats are trying to prevent the Westminster government from interfering in Welsh laws.

Kirsty Williams, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said:

"This is a very difficult situation as we fully support powers over housing coming to Wales but we fervently disagree with the Secretary of State's veto powers which were added to pacify devo-sceptic MPs.

"This veto over Welsh laws is totally unacceptable and if this motion is passed in the House of Lords, this could set a very dangerous precedent on our future laws.

"Future power bids from Cardiff are likely to be controversial and I do not want to see the Secretary of State's veto power used as a tool to pacify devo-sceptic MPs every time we ask for powers.

"Why give us powers to pass laws and then dictate via the Secretary of State what we can and cannot do with them? Imposing vetoes here and there on Welsh laws shows contempt for our National Assembly and for the people of Wales.

"Our Lords are fighting this on a legal and constitutional basis but we are fighting this on the principle that devolution means that Wales gets to have its own say on how it makes its own laws - without having to go to Westminster every time to ask for permission to legislate.

"Not only does this recent controversy prove that there are major flaws in the devolution settlement, this strengthens our case that Labour and Plaid Cymru should hold a referendum on us attaining the full law-making powers for Wales envisaged by the Government of Wales Act 2006.

"I want to make it absolutely clear that the Welsh Liberal Democrats have been and always will be supportive of power bids that give the people of Wales the tools to get on with the job of legislating to better our country. What we object to is this Labour-Plaid coalition's twisted form of devolution that appears to give the people of Wales the power to legislate but in reality keeps the National Assembly under the control of UK Government ministers"

Lord Livsey of Talgarth, who put down the motion in the House of Lords, said:

"The advice given by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instrument questions the legality of the Secretary of State for Wales' power to intervene in the properly constituted transfer of power from Westminster to Cardiff Bay.

"The National Assembly had already scrutinised this legislation but subsequently the Secretary of State's veto was inserted into the Order after having left the Assembly, leaving Assembly Members powerless to undertake pre-legislative scrutiny of the amended Order. His veto offends an important principle of administrative law and that is why we are laying down this motion to the House.

"This recent predicament confirms our original concerns at the time of drafting the Government of Wales Act that the National Assembly would have to go on bended knee to Parliament every time it wanted to implement a manifesto commitment. This is not in the spirit of devolution."

Ends/Diwedd

Motion relating to Delegated Legislation

†Lord Livsey of Talgarth to move that this House declines to approve the draft National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Housing) Order 2009. 7th Report from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments