Oral Answers to Questions

Margaret Ferrier Excerpts

Wednesday 26th April 2017 Commons Chamber

[Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)]

4. What assessment he has made of the potential effect of provisions of the great repeal Bill on Wales’s devolved competences.

[Margaret Ferrier (Rutherglen and Hamilton West) (SNP)]

5. What assessment he has made of the potential effect of provisions of the great repeal Bill on Wales’s devolved competences.

[Gavin Newlands (Paisley and Renfrewshire North) (SNP)]

11. What assessment he has made of the potential effect of provisions of the great repeal Bill on Wales’s devolved competences.

--- Later in debate ---

[Alun Cairns]

I am grateful for the opportunity to highlight one achievement of this Parliament: passing the latest governance legislation, the Wales Act 2017, which enhanced powers even further in a range of areas. It demonstrates our stance on devolution, which is to trust the people.

[Margaret Ferrier]

Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National party will defend against the power-hungry Tory Government’s plans in the White Paper to use the great repeal Bill to undermine devolved government by not passing on powers from Brussels. What guarantees can the Minister make to ensure that all powers are repatriated to Wales and Scotland in the devolved competences and not absorbed by the Westminster machine?

[Alun Cairns]

As powers are repatriated from the EU, it is vital that we provide industry and communities with as much certainty and security as possible. We need to protect the integrity of the UK market, and we need to work with the devolved Administrations to construct common standards and common frameworks to support that single market.