Brexit: Devolved Administrations

Debate between Baroness Anelay of St Johns and Lord Morris of Aberavon

Tuesday 24th October 2017 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Anelay of St Johns]

Absolutely right, my Lords.

[Lord Morris of Aberavon (Lab)]

My Lords, is it not a principle of good governance that powers once devolved should not be lightly withdrawn? Does the Minister agree that it is not beyond the wit of parliamentary counsel, properly instructed, to draft proposals to maintain the status quo and to provide for the interregnum in the meantime?

[Baroness Anelay of St Johns]

The noble and learned Lord, as ever, makes an important contribution on these matters. We are listening to discussions about the drafting of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill arising out of amendments tabled in another place. It is the intention of this Bill that no decisions currently taken by the devolved Administrations will be removed from them. Each and every part of the noble and learned Lord’s intervention is key to our decision to draft the Bill as it currently stands.

Brexit: Financial Settlement

Debate between Baroness Anelay of St Johns and Lord Morris of Aberavon

Thursday 12th October 2017 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Anelay of St Johns]

My Lords, this is a technical matter which will decide the future not only of this country but the rest of Europe. One does not go into that kind of negotiation by just opening the doors of the Treasury and offering a certain number of millions or billions of pounds. What we will do is look very carefully at the paper put forward by the Commission during the summer, in which it set out the list of treaties and the clauses of those treaties and regulations that it says form the legal basis of the money that should be paid by this country. We want to be able to face the British people and say: this is our obligation, this is why we agreed to pay it, and we can justify every part of that money.

[Lord Morris of Aberavon (Lab)]

My Lords, will the settlement take into account the failure of the auditors of the Community to certify the accounts for more than 10 years?

[Baroness Anelay of St Johns]

The noble and learned Lord makes a vital point, and I certainly hope that it might.