, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I thank Siân Gwenllian. Llywydd, I listened carefully to the points that she made in yesterday's debate, and I've already spoken to officials this morning to have more advice on the point that she raised about where one policy conflicts with other policies…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Thank you very much, of course, for the question, Llywydd. We are drafting our response to the report by the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities at the moment. When we review 'Future Wales', we will consider all evidence, including the commission's…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I look forward to bringing the visitor levy Bill to the floor of the Senedd. I completely disagree with the viewpoint of the Conservative Party; it is a way of dealing with the impact of tourism in those parts of Wales that most rely upon it that helps to…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I thank Peter Fox. Our focus is on keeping our taxes clear, simple and stable. Through this and such things as our non-domestic rates support package, we demonstrate our commitment to supporting businesses in Wales.
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I've already said that I don't have any plans to reinstate it. We're investing an additional £78 million this year to provide a fifth successive year of temporary support for those sectors. The Member says 'some' businesses don't pay business rates—50 per…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I thank Luke Fletcher for that, and I apologise for the fact that I ran out of time before answering this point that he made in the debate we had on these matters last week. He's absolutely right, that is exactly how the multiplier operates: it shifts the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I thank Luke Fletcher for that. We remain on track to deliver the reforms announced for this Senedd term. The Local Government Finance (Wales) Act 2024 makes significant improvements, including more frequent revaluations, actions to address avoidance and, as…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
The Chancellor faced a £22 billion black hole in the income that she had available to her and the expenditure that had already been committed by the outgoing Conservative Government. That £22 billion black hole is almost exactly matched by the irresponsible…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I thank Joyce Watson for that. I gave her just one example of the Welsh-specific issues in the budget that she herself has often highlighted here on the floor of the Senedd. There are others as well; there's the Celtic free port investment, the hydrogen…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I thank Joyce Watson. The UK budget provides a much-needed boost for working people and takes the first steps to rebuilding vital public services. The UK Government has listened to what Wales needs, including providing £25 million towards coal tip safety and…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I thank Carolyn Thomas for that and acknowledge that this development has been one that has been very widely supported by our local authorities, as well as the health board itself. The frustration has not been in the support for the scheme; the frustration…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Well, Llywydd, I recognise the frustration that Darren Millar expresses, just as I recognise the consistency with which he has made the case for that investment. He will know that the 11 years since I was first able to identify that work as something the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Llywydd, the spending priorities for the Welsh Government will be set out in the draft budget on 10 December.
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Well, of course, Llywydd, it's my intention, with my colleagues, to use the extra money we have to be able to go on supporting the third sector and other organisations we are able to fund in Wales. They will have extra money from the Welsh Government, I feel…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Well, Llywydd, I'm not the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the decisions on national insurance contributions are not ones made by the Welsh Government. But, if I were the Chancellor, I'm sure I would be saying to you that the £1 billion extra that the Welsh…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Well, the possibilities come to me because my intention is to be in London not next week, but the week after that, to have opportunities to have face-to-face meetings with Ministers in the Treasury. Of course, I'm there to provide information and evidence to…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I thank Peter Fox for that third question. I should just simply say that what he described as 'the narrative' on non-domestic rates was simply a statement of fact. Those are the facts of the matter. Half of businesses in Wales pay no business rates at all…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Llywydd, the first thing to say is that half of small businesses in Wales pay no business rates at all. So, the multiplier has no impact on them because they don’t pay anything in business rates. Over 30 per cent more of businesses in Wales have relief from…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Well, Llywydd, I give the Member an assurance that the needs of the care sector are being actively discussed as part of the budget-setting process. I was in a conversation with the health Minister and the social care Minister only this morning on that. The…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Llywydd, I thank Andrew R.T. Davies for that. The UK Government has said that it will provide compensation to public services for the additional national insurance contributions that public service employers will incur. The definition they are using of a…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I thank the leader of the opposition for that question. Llywydd, a set of collaborative discussions took place with UK Ministers, focusing on Welsh priorities, ahead of the UK budget. These will continue as we head into the second phase of the UK spending…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I thank the Member for that question. She's right about the pressures that local authorities face, but, 14 years into an era of resource constraint, public services of all sorts are facing those types of challenges. My aim in the budget next year is to assist…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Well, Llywydd, of course, I agree with the Member that investment in social care is part of a solution to the pressures that the system in the round experiences. From the point of view of the individual, it really doesn't matter whether the money is being…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Well, Llywydd, I thank Heledd Fychan for that supplementary question. You are right—local council leaders tell me every time I meet them about the pressures they're facing in the area of social care, but across their responsibilities as well. Of course, the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Llywydd, I meet regularly with all Cabinet colleagues individually and collectively during the draft budget-setting process. I attended the finance sub-group with the Cabinet Secretary on 22 October, to hear from local authorities directly on their pressures…
