, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Morning.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
So, if we just say I would have had 20 windows if I'd had all the funding; I've got 19. Do you know what I mean? We're using that money to adapt within the schemes. But, there is obviously less money.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
So, the funding that we have had we are using for the new programme.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
I suppose I go back to the answer I gave to the Chair—that that's very long term. The crisis is here now in relation to the budget, and we deal with things as we do. I was promised that I would continue to have that funding, and we will continue to pursue…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
We continue to press them. This isn't a conversation that I've given up on yet. At our regular inter-ministerial group meetings—our next one is a week on Monday—finance is always on, and I continue to press the point that they promised us EU replacement…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Thank you. Well, that £21 million shortfall was because the UK Government netted off EU receipts, so, we know that, over the period of the spending review, our rural communitites and our farmers are going to lose out about £243 million as a result of that…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Morning.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
—we would be able to do it, yes. We wouldn't have to wait at all, no.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Oh, no, yes. Sorry, I see what you mean. Yes, no. Again, when we meet with the director, if Gian Marco said to me, 'This is happening here'—
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Yes. I am happy that they're in place, and you mentioned the Minister for Climate Change's biodiversity deep-dive. So, what is really important is that those funding rounds are reviewed, they're evaluated, and they can be adapted if there is anything that…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
I wouldn't say it's been prioritised. So, basically, we get this lump sum from the UK Government, which has replaced the money that we would have had if we'd have still been in the European Union. So, the £2.1 million for the Welsh marine and fisheries…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Morning.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Yes, absolutely. So, I meet every month. Obviously, if something occurred in that month—. And I meet every week with directors—obviously with Dean and the team—to make sure, if there was anything, they could highlight it to me. But I suppose the best way of…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
As I say, we meet monthly. You make sure that, the budget position, we take account of the budgetary pressures to make sure that you're doing that. So, if you look—
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
So, I suppose, because it's such a tough budget, it's really hard to look in the long term. You've just got to try and keep on track as best you can. So, obviously, one of my main things at the moment is looking at how we get to the sustainable farming…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
So, one of the things I've done, and I think it was absolutely right to do, is protect the basic payment scheme. So, our farmers in Wales haven't seen cuts like they have over the border in England. So, I suppose that's one example. I mentioned before about…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
So, we manage things very closely, and we divert funding if we think that's the right thing to do. So, I meet monthly with Dean and the rest of the finance team. We look at latest forecasts; we look at budget movements. We need to make sure that the budget is…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
—market monitoring group, which meets regularly, which officials are always very involved in. So, we work very closely with our counterparts. We work very closely with our delivery partners, so the Animal and Plant Health Agency, for instance, which obviously…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
It's a very challenging time for everybody; it's a very challenging time for farmers, because, if you look at the price of food and fuel and fertilisers, again, we know that they've had some significant increases. So, there's a massive impact on our farmers…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Absolutely. Well, you'll know that, even with the additional funding we had in the autumn statement, our settlement is worth up to about £3 billion less in real terms, and up to £1 billion less next year. So, it's tough. I think it's fair to say—you know…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget - Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Thank you very much, Chair. I'm Lesley Griffiths. I'm the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd. On my right is Gavin Watkins, who's the interim chief veterinary officer for Wales, and on my left is Gian Marco Currado, who's director in the…
, Plenary
Business Statement and Announcement
Thank you. Well, that would be for the Deputy Minister for Climate Change, and, as you know, the whole road review and road building programmes have been looked at very closely, but I will ask the Minister—Deputy Minister, sorry—to issue a written statement.
, Plenary
Business Statement and Announcement
Thank you. I think the situation you set out is indeed wholly unacceptable. If there's only one member of staff who's then on maternity leave, then obviously I appreciate they can't just get somebody in at very short notice. However, a wait of two to three…
, Plenary
Business Statement and Announcement
Thank you. As I say, this is a matter for local authorities. I don't see that this is an issue for Welsh Government. I would give you the same advice as I've just given to James Evans; I think it's really important you raise it with your local authority.
, Plenary
Business Statement and Announcement
In relation to your first point, I will be amending the legislation as soon as possible. You'll appreciate this is the first week we are back after the Christmas break, but I do intend to continue to bring forward that amended legislation as soon as possible…
