, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Cardiff Airport: Evidence session with Cardiff Airport and the Welsh Government
Great, okay. Thank you.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Cardiff Airport: Evidence session with Cardiff Airport and the Welsh Government
So, it would be fair to say that the consensus is that EBITDA, generally, is better than operational profit, in terms of providing a holistic picture of the financial health of the airport, but that it has to be adjusted to take into consideration this…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Cardiff Airport: Evidence session with Cardiff Airport and the Welsh Government
Could I ask a further question on the same kind of theme? The airport reported a positive EBITDA of £1.4 million for 2021-22. But, in the Welsh Government's update in March 2023, you said that the airport hasn't yet reached a level of annual profitability…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Cardiff Airport: Evidence session with Cardiff Airport and the Welsh Government
Okay, thank you. If you could write to us, that would be great. Turning to the Welsh Government, the information that you shared with the committee last September shows that the airport's targets for profitability were due to be achieved by March 2029. This…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Cardiff Airport: Evidence session with Cardiff Airport and the Welsh Government
One specific question for the airport before I turn to the Welsh Government, namely, in your report, you show a loan balance at the end of March 2022 remaining at the same level—namely £27.2 million—as the previous year. Could you explain that? Why is it the…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Cardiff Airport: Evidence session with Cardiff Airport and the Welsh Government
And regarding what you've just said, how does that compare with the milestones under the rescue and restructuring plan? We don't know what those milestones are, but you do, of course, so how do they compare with that?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Cardiff Airport: Evidence session with Cardiff Airport and the Welsh Government
How would you describe your financial performance in 2021-22?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Cardiff Airport: Evidence session with Cardiff Airport and the Welsh Government
Thank you, Chair, and good morning. I'll be asking my questions in Welsh. First, a question for the airport: how would you describe your financial performance in 2021-22?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Papers to note
Okay, thanks.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Papers to note
I don't know whether the work of the auditor general is going to look specifically at the question—. It's rather arcane to me, something that I've not previously had the opportunity to explore in depth, but the question of self-cleaning in relation to…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Raising Wales’s International Profile—An update on the Welsh Government’s international relations activity
I was going to pray in aid the late Steffan Lewis in one of his great ideas, which was the creation of a Celtic development bank, building on the bilateral discussions with Ireland, bringing in possibly Scotland as well, to look at the possibility of joint…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Raising Wales’s International Profile—An update on the Welsh Government’s international relations activity
One of the key objectives of the Welsh Government's international strategy is for Wales to achieve its aspiration of being a globally responsible nation, and to do so in a way that aligns with the best of our progressive values. As Uganda has been mentioned…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I am meeting the Shadows Depression Support Group in the Amman valley on Friday, and I have to tell the First Minister that the news that this service is due to close in September has caused great concern for the 1,600 people who use the service at the…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Public Appointments: Evidence session
Thank you very much.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Public Appointments: Evidence session
I know that you, Damian, have run courses as part of Academi Wales, which trains people who work in the public sector. There is talk of creating a governance school at a national level in the future. Is there scope for that kind of institution not just to…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Public Appointments: Evidence session
Great. I agree fully with you. On the general theme of opening out the process and the opportunities in terms of public appointments to be more inclusive than they are currently, the Commissioner for Public Appointments across the UK has suggested that we…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Public Appointments: Evidence session
So, just for me to try to ensure that I understand the point, we wouldn't want to prevent people who have participated in the democratic process from putting their names forward, but there is a risk, perhaps, that we are just rummaging around for people…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Public Appointments: Evidence session
Thank you, Chair. According to the information I've seen, the percentage of people that the Welsh Government has appointed to public appointments who have some background of a political nature or political activity has increased significantly over the past…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Public Appointments: Evidence session
Diolch yn fawr; diolch yn fawr, Damian.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Public Appointments: Evidence session
Well, that's really sobering, Damian. Just picking up one of the recommendations, for example, of the Holmes review: 'All bodies making public appointments to be Disability Confident by summer 2019', based on a range of criteria. So, in your experience, that…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Public Appointments: Evidence session
Yes, thank you, Damian. Yes, the idea of making a programme, taking us through the entire process, is an interesting one and worth further exploration. The Welsh Government has committed to implementing the recommendations of the Lord Holmes review across the…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Public Appointments: Evidence session
Some public appointments require a pre-appointment hearing with one of the Senedd committees. What are your views on pre-appointment hearings, and do you specifically think that they can be useful in terms of increasing diversity and inclusion in public…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Public Appointments: Evidence session
Thank you very much. Good morning, Damian.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Papers to note
Could I ask, Chair—? As well as a general power that all committees have to call for papers and people to appear before us, there is a special provision available to us to command the publication of documents in the possession of the Government. Now, the key…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Full devolution of water resources
Specifically on the issue of powers, could you clarify what is the current position? Because the Deputy Minister did write to the Secretary of State for the environment asking for a delay in the transfer of those powers under section 48. Has there been…
