19 March 2024 , Plenary
Debate: Final report of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales
Like others this afternoon, I'd like to thank the commission for their work. I'd like to thank the co-chairs and the staff who supported that, and everybody who took part in the work of the commission. I'd also like to thank the First Minister for the way in…
14 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Secretary of State for Wales
I'm grateful to you, Secretary of State.
14 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Secretary of State for Wales
Do you have a timescale for that?
14 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Secretary of State for Wales
—what you need is the economic plan that goes alongside it. And it's a question I would have asked the Minister here had it been reached in questions yesterday. However, my concern about Port Talbot is that that long-term economic plan is in place, learns the…
14 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Secretary of State for Wales
Well, you and I have campaigned together on the A465 dualling, and the success of that is going to be in the Heads of the Valleys. But it's that lesson that I'm really thinking of—the A465—because building a road alone isn't sufficient—
14 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Secretary of State for Wales
I understand that.
14 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Secretary of State for Wales
I understand that; I used it as an example.
14 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Secretary of State for Wales
So, how are you learning the lessons from the past, because one of the criticisms that I make of your levelling-up projects, for example, is that you're repeating the mistakes that the Welsh Government made, and you were very vocal in your criticisms at the…
14 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Secretary of State for Wales
We'll hold him to account, then. [Laughter.]
14 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Secretary of State for Wales
That's good to hear. And, from your perspective, how are relationships between you and the Welsh Government, and between other organisations, working on this? We hear the noise in the media, but how is it actually working when you're around the table?
14 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Secretary of State for Wales
'Transformational' is a word used by many Ministers in all administrations, but my concern is—. You're here this afternoon, so we're talking about the UK Government. If it was a Welsh Minister, we'd talk about other issues. But, if you look at decisions that…
14 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Secretary of State for Wales
You were in politics then—you were a Member here.
14 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Secretary of State for Wales
You'll be very welcome to come back at any time, Secretary of State, you know that. In many ways, 20-odd years after the closure of Ebbw Vale steelworks, we're still making investments to recover from the impact of the closure on the town and the wider…
14 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Secretary of State for Wales
Thank you. Secretary of State, it was good to welcome you to Ebbw Vale a few months ago when we looked at the HiVE project.
14 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Secretary of State for Wales
Okay, thank you.
14 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Secretary of State for Wales
Sure. But the strategic thinking is the question. I accept what you've said about—. The strategic thinking. And if you're able to reassure us that there's strategic thinking, that would lead to a different equation, wouldn't it, in terms of the cost, because…
14 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Secretary of State for Wales
Yes. I'm grateful to you, Secretary of State, for finding the time this afternoon as well. I know you're always very good at answering our questions, so we're grateful to you for that. In terms of the interventions, you've been very active, I think it's fair…
14 March 2024 , Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Culture and the new relationship with the EU: Evidence session with Brexit experts (7)
Okay, I'm grateful to you for that.
14 March 2024 , Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Culture and the new relationship with the EU: Evidence session with Brexit experts (7)
Thank you.
14 March 2024 , Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Culture and the new relationship with the EU: Evidence session with Brexit experts (7)
Okay. In terms of taking this forward—I'm grateful to you for that, Professor Barnard—to both of you, 'So what?' is the next question. What are the consequences of this? It's a bad deal, it's a bad agreement—I get that. So what? What does it mean in the real…
14 March 2024 , Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Culture and the new relationship with the EU: Evidence session with Brexit experts (7)
Essentially, the EU negotiators ran rings around them.
14 March 2024 , Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Culture and the new relationship with the EU: Evidence session with Brexit experts (7)
I'm very grateful to you. It's very useful for us to have such a clear explanation of the current situation. The question that's screaming in my mind now is: how on earth did we find ourselves in this situation, because negotiators would have known that this…
14 March 2024 , Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Culture and the new relationship with the EU: Evidence session with Brexit experts (7)
Yes. Yes.
14 March 2024 , Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Culture and the new relationship with the EU: Evidence session with Brexit experts (7)
Thank you, and I'm grateful to you both for joining us this morning. In terms of where we are at the moment, could you provide us with an overview of the TCA and the post-Brexit arrangements, as they relate to culture? I assume that's to Professor Barnard…
14 March 2024 , Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Culture and the new relationship with the European Union: Evidence session with Member of the European Parliament Committee on Culture and Education (6)
I'm grateful to you for that. That was very useful. In terms of the directive, you say it's going to be reviewed in the next mandate, so I presume it's too early to ask you whether you believe the 1993 exemption for the UK will be maintained in it. I can…
