, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Welsh Government Public Bodies Unit: Evidence Session with the Welsh Government
I'd like to go into this in greater detail, but you as Chair, Mark, won't let me do that, but I think we perhaps can talk about it in greater detail, even if only in writing in the future. I've got three questions regarding tailored reviews. What criteria…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Welsh Government Public Bodies Unit: Evidence Session with the Welsh Government
Both I and the host have been unmuting me a few times then, so I think I am unmuted now. I've got a general question before I move on to tailored reviews. A large number of these bodies are part of the Welsh Government's consolidated accounts, and in business…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Procurement Update
I welcome this statement and hope we can later on this year have a Government debate on procurement. Procurement is one of the most important and powerful levers the Welsh Government can use to help achieve economic growth. Sustainable economic growth, fair…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Can I thank the First Minister for his answer? There is serious pollution in the River Tawe, especially as it travels through Swansea. We've previously had questions on pollution in the River Wye, but the Tawe also has discharge, as the First Minister…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
6. What action is the Welsh Government taking to tackle pollution in the river Tawe? OQ57488
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
Can I just say—? We think we're being badly treated, others don't think we're being badly treated—that saves Gareth having to come in. But what I would say is we need organisations that feel that they are losing out to actually tell us publicly that they feel…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
Have any of the organisations that are going to be adversely affected contacted you?
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
There were those people who thought that actually we were going to diverge the other way, so at least we're moving in the right direction.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
You unmuted me and I muted me. What I was going to say was that we were told that the freezing of allowances will mean that we will get a greater income tax income in Wales than in England. Have you estimated how much that will be?
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
Okay. Thank you, Chair.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
I'll take that to be a 'no'. Thank you.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
I wasn't asking for you to look more closely at it. I was just going back to your earlier point that your people have different views. I was just asking if you'd publish the evidence that has caused those people to have their views.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
Will you publish the evidence you've got?
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
Have you any evidence of either?
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
Thank you. Has the Welsh Government got an opinion?
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
Thank you. I'm a great fan of business rates, because they're very difficult to avoid. Corporation tax is a voluntary contribution made by large businesses at the level at which they decide to pay. But, I was asking who you think is going to benefit. Do you…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
The final question from me is: we had a visit from representatives of business, who said that business rates were a serious problem and that it was something they wanted to be reduced. But we also had experts come to talk to us who told us that the great…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
Can I move on, then, within that? There are items that are definitely capital, like building a new school, and items that are definitely revenue, which is paying teachers. There are, however, things like capital maintenance or revenue maintenance that can be…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
Can I talk about capital and revenue? We've had a lot of people say that there is a shortage of capital, and nobody says they've got too much revenue. Speaking as somebody who used to be a local government leader, I'd have taken everything in revenue. Can you…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
Thank you. I wanted to make sure I got my most important ones in first. I'd like to ask about the Wales infrastructure investment strategy. You've set out that factors relating to climate and nature emergencies must be considered when developing proposals…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
Just finally, then, I wish you were correct that inflation would drive up pay awards, as somebody who was very keen on raising money for uplifting salaries of core workers within local government, but surely the things that drive up awards is scarcity of…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
I was talking about the directors of social services, who have a different view to local government leaders. Just finally, we've got increases in salaries coming, increases in wages, and continuing pressure. We've got the teachers' pay award, which is coming…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
Thank you. You're taking me on to the next area now. No-one could say that the budget allocations for local government and health are not generous, certainly in the context of the last 10 years. Perhaps in the context of the first 10 years of devolution, they…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
I'll be raising this with the health Minister personally as well. Certainly, the key point, I think, and I hope the health minister will as well, is the variable performance between different health boards and variable performance between different hospitals…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
Thank you. You moved on to healthcare, which is where I was going to go next. You say addressing the backlog of treatment delayed by the pandemic is the Welsh Government's highest priority. I'm sure it's the highest priority of everybody around the table…
