, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
The Welsh food and drink sector is another great success story of the Welsh economy, far exceeding the targets that were set out for it by my colleague Lesley Griffiths when she first set out a growth pathway for that industry. It is very good news that we've…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, Llywydd, I agree, on this point, certainly, with Peter Fox, that productivity, and the paradox of stalled productivity, lies at the heart of the challenge faced by UK economy. If we are to see, as we would certainly want to see, a growing economy—a cake…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, Llywydd, of course, I agree that GVA is one important measure of the performance of an economy, and I know that Mike Hedges will have noticed that in the latest available figures, Wales is doing better than any other UK nation in increasing GVA. GVA per…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Gross value added is a measure of a nation's economic output. The Welsh Government supports economic growth through investment in skills and infrastructure. Taken alone, however, gross value added is an imperfect guide to the health of any economy.
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, what I can say to Members is this: it is no surprise, of course, that differing views are expressed in such a meeting—that’s why a meeting is called, in order to make sure that those different perspectives are all available. But the advice that goes…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, there was no record to correct because the Minister will have acted on the basis of the system that I have set out to Members this afternoon. Each decision, whether to do more or to do less, follows that three-stage process. I’ve set it out for…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I do stand by it, Llywydd, because it was an attempt to capture the process by which organisations in the Welsh NHS are either escalated in terms of intervention or de-escalated. I've written, Llywydd, to you to assist Members in making clear that…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, the leader of the opposition says to me that I should not conflate two issues, when he has invited me to do exactly that and returned to that theme in his final contribution. It is plainly nonsensical to imagine that some poor child in a war-torn…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
First of all, Llywydd, I do agree that, of course, access to the NHS for people in an emergency, or for people waiting for planned care, is a very important priority for this Government. The figures that were published during the recess showed that the number…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I don't agree with what the chair of the BMA said about the Welsh NHS not being functional. Of course I agree that there are parts of our NHS that are under the most enormous strain from the volume of people needing to access those services. But the Welsh…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, Llywydd, can I, too, welcome visitors to the Senedd this afternoon? And can I thank the Member for the work that he has just completed, commissioned by the education Minister to look at the system as it currently operates. I know the amount of time that…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Can I thank Paul Davies for the question and welcome him back to his place here in the Chamber this afternoon? I want to agree with him about the work that has gone on in the free-port programme, where a system of genuinely joint decision making was agreed…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, I've heard the concerns expressed by some companies in north Wales, but we have reformed the qualifications regime under the leadership of employers in the sector. It was they who suggested the new system that we have, and they have done so because…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, the Welsh Government is committed to working with employers and our contracted providers to increase apprentice provision across the construction sector and ensure that apprentices are trained to the highest possible standard.
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I thank Carolyn Thomas for that very important supplementary question, because it will certainly affect people in Arfon who depend on public transport, because the UK Government, having failed to invest in improving our rail network over many years, are now…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, Llywydd, we do that by continuing to invest in bus services across north Wales, and in the Arfon area, where there is a strong case to do so. So, we continue to fund the key TrawsCymru T2 bus service, linking Bangor, Caernarfon, Porthmadog, Dolgellau…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, I thank Siân Gwenllian for those points. The problem for people who rely on public transport is that many other people haven't returned to bus or train services since the COVID pandemic. Taxpayers, through the Welsh Government, have provided millions…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, I thank Siân Gwenllian for that question. Working with Gwynedd County Council, the Welsh Government has invested significantly in sustaining and improve bus services for the people of Arfon. New CAF trains are already running on north Wales lines…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, I share the Member’s view of the horror of antisemitism and there’s no doubt at all that there has been a rise in such incidents, and that we all have an obligation to play our part in resisting that. Universities, in the end, Llywydd, are autonomous…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, Llywydd, I thank Darren Millar for that. The Welsh Government has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism in full and without qualification. Our 'Anti-racist Wales Action Plan' provides the framework through…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I certainly agree that people who feel that decisions made in relation to their own care ought to have the right to challenge that decision, and that right of challenge ought to be available to them in a way that is real, that's accessible, and where they…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I thank the Member for that, Llywydd. Under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, the Welsh Government provides local authorities with guidance in the form of codes of practice and statutory guidance. Topics covered include autism services…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I thank Carolyn Thomas for that very important supplementary question, because she puts her finger exactly on the flaw at the heart of the current UK Government's prospectus. The Chancellor said that his was a budget for growth, but he failed to do the most…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, I thank Carolyn Thomas for that question. The UK Government’s budget contained almost nothing for public services. Following a decade of Tory austerity, the latest budget continues to let down the people, communities and businesses across Wales who…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, Llywydd, I think the Minister has shown her willingness to listen to cases made in the industry by the way in which—and I know that Russell George welcomed it—she has provided an exemption for properties that can only be occupied for certain times in…
