13 March 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Economy
Thank you for that response.
13 March 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Economy
5. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact the recent UK Government budget will have on the Welsh economy? OQ60843
13 March 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Economy
Well, I listened very carefully there and didn't hear any specific new policies that you've enacted since becoming the economy Minister. If anything, it sounded almost managerial. So, am I to take from that that Vaughan Gething's brand is that of a manager? I…
13 March 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Economy
Diolch, Llywydd. No doubt a surprise to the Minister, I'll continue with the theme of potentially this being his last economy questions session. I was wondering if you could give me a quintessential Vaughan Gething economy policy. What is 'brand Vaughan…
12 March 2024 , Plenary
& 12. Legislative Consent Motion on the Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill—motion 1, and Legislative Consent Motion on the Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill—motion 2
I want to reiterate that Plaid Cymru continues to oppose the use of LCMs as a matter of principle. The increasing use of LCMs by the UK Government over the past few years speaks to their disregard for the devolved administrations, as well as their damaging…
6 March 2024 , Committee of the Whole Senedd
Group 17: Review of operation of Act etc. after 2026 general election (Amendments 9, 10, 19, 116, 11, 12, 49, 53, 20, 50)
Against.
6 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
General Ministerial Scrutiny: Minister for Economy
—one more question on the transition board, specifically. Last week, we took evidence from two academic panels. One of them had Dr Dean Stroud on that panel, and we asked about the remit of the transition board, and he had some, I think, pretty interesting…
6 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
General Ministerial Scrutiny: Minister for Economy
I'm conscious of time, Chair, but if I could just ask one question—
6 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
General Ministerial Scrutiny: Minister for Economy
Of course, to be fair, the Welsh Government doesn't have to wait for a general election to set out its plans for infrastructure projects. The key thing I'm looking for here is to identify whether or not the work is being done in the same way it was done in…
6 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
General Ministerial Scrutiny: Minister for Economy
One of those alternative proposals that would require significant investment would be a plate steel mill. I think we can understand some of the frustrations that some people have around the idea of a free port, and I've made my view clear on free ports over…
6 March 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
General Ministerial Scrutiny: Minister for Economy
Diolch, Cadeirydd. And I probably should declare for the record that I'm a member of one of the sub-groups of the transition board in Port Talbot, which I think indicates what set of questions I'm likely to be asking you, Minister, around steel. I think a…
29 February 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel 2
Great. Diolch yn fawr.
29 February 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel 2
Thank you, Dean. Before I hand back to the Chair, Vera, did you want to add anything at all?
29 February 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel 2
[Inaudible.]—you referred to earlier. I'm conscious of time, so it would be great if you would be able to write some of those in to the committee for us to consider, but if I can just ask one more question, Chair. And, again, I'll have to re-declare that I…
29 February 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel 2
If I could turn to Vera, how do Tata's proposals stack up against European steel makers in what they are proposing for a just transition?
29 February 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel 2
No worries. If I could move on, the idea of a just transition is something that we all talk about on a regular basis. What does a just transition look like for Tata's workforce in Port Talbot and, of course, its wider workforce in Wales? Dean.
29 February 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel 2
Thanks. In terms of DRI, would you agree with Dean's suggestion?
29 February 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel 2
Thank you. Vera, did you want to comment at all?
29 February 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel 2
Diolch, Cadeirydd. If I could just focus in a bit on the electric arc furnace proposal itself for a moment, we've referred to it already in answers to Vikki, but I'll ask last both questions at the same time. It's a bit of a concern, really, isn't it, that…
29 February 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel
I'm conscious of time, Chair—and I know Buffy's interested in asking about electricity costs, which I think are actually going to be quite important here—but if I could just ask a very brief question: what role can the UK's planned implementation of a carbon…
29 February 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel
Because to get to that point where we're creating genuinely zero-carbon steel, the case that we've been making is it's better, then, to site steel production in places where there are better regulations.
29 February 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel
Diolch, Cadeirydd. I've found this evidence session really interesting, and a lot of the questions I had around DRI have been answered. But if I just turn to the politics of it for a minute, much has been said around—and I think the Minister for Economy has…
29 February 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Steel Unions
Fair enough.
29 February 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Steel Unions
Are there any conversations about potential compensation for workers if there was an early closure as a result of—?
29 February 2024 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Steel Unions
And I'm conscious this might be fairly sensitive, so I can understand if you guys are unable to answer it, but there have been some conversations around potential health and safety concerns in, I believe, blast furnace No. 5, and that potentially leading to…
