, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 3
And as Peredur would say, we're very similar to Catalonia.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 3
That didn't answer the last question, so I'll ask another one. Did they do the same modelling in Italy, Spain, France and Portugal, and did they get the same results that you are showing here?
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 3
I was going to say it's all to do with the elasticity of demand in certain areas as well. But you've got this model; does it work? Because we know what's happened in Italy, we know what's happened in Spain, we know what's happened in France. If you run your…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 3
Well, there's—
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 3
Thank you for that. I mean, if price were the driver, Blackpool would be the most successful resort in Britain.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 3
I'll mention two things that I know. I know hotel prices in Tenby are substantially higher than those in Llandudno. I also know that a budget hotel in Caernarfon, which I stayed in around about the time you're talking about, can be under £50 per room per…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Thank you.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Okay, thank you. I mean, on tourism in general, I have a number of people not living in my constituency and living in a neighbouring one who hate the summer because of the amount of extra traffic that comes on the road and the traffic jams that are being…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Okay, thank you. There's a lot more I'd like to talk about, but time is against us, so I'll just finish off with my last question. You mentioned in your conclusions that funds may be allocated via grant-making processes, allocated to bodies with defined…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Can I come back to Linda? You talked about how much it would be if people stayed a fortnight, but, two people staying a fortnight, it would be under £50, wouldn't it? And when you look at two people sharing a room in some of the budget hotels, they're lucky…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
I—
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
You're leading into my next question very rapidly there, because accommodation in Wales—and I travel around Wales reasonably frequently; in fact, I'm in Caernarfon next Friday and Saturday—and the price of accommodation varies substantially more than the…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Diolch, Cadeirydd. I can't remember the last time I went on holiday when I didn't pay a tourism tax. That's been Spain, Italy, France, western Europe. It seems to be the norm. Perhaps we're taking a long time to catch up. Catalonia implements a tourism tax…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 8
Can I thank you for that, and just add that we might have had an economic policy that was moving jobs to people, but we've had the reality of the growth of the cities along the coast and the decline in population, and certainly a decline in jobs, in the south…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 8
And finally from me, we've spent a lot of money on public transport. Are you happy that the share between buses and rail is going to stay at that level, or can you see an increase in bus support? Because the constituency that I live in has one railway station…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 8
Thank you. The Bevan Foundation welcomed the funding for the social housing grant and transitional accommodation capital programme. But it highlighted—and I agree with them entirely—that there’s a shortage of council housing in Wales. That is not necessarily…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 8
It could be a manifesto commitment by one or more parties. What is the status of the two remaining gender budgeting pilots, and what are the timelines for publishing the results? And how are you going to reflect the outcome in future budgets?
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 8
The Bevan Foundation noted the usefulness of the role of the Wales expert group on the cost-of-living crisis in engaging with Welsh Ministers on different priorities. Given that the cost-of-living crisis has certainly not gone away, do you think there is a…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 8
Thank you. The same question regarding baby bundles.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 8
On the first two questions, the answer is either 'yes' or 'no'. Is phase 3 of Flying Start being funded in next year’s budget?
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 8
There are no constraints on ICT expenditure by amount available. The NHS has got a very poor record of ICT upgrades. The money could be very well spent there, and that could actually improve productivity. I agree with what you said about artificial…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 8
The big thing is the price of houses. That is the driving factor, surely, Minister? It's not a minor tax that adds a small amount to the cost; it's the increasing cost of houses, which is being driven by the failure to build enough houses. So, I'm bemused by…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Active Travel: evidence session with the Welsh Local Government Association
Diolch, Cadeirydd.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Active Travel: evidence session with the Welsh Local Government Association
Maybe, for that, I'm sure most local authorities would be much happier with more capital for other projects, but that's outside our remit here today. Do you think—and you talked about the Vale of Glamorgan—there would be benefit in a regionally based approach…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Active Travel: evidence session with the Welsh Local Government Association
And me. The next question is: is the capital-revenue split about right? I know that you can use revenue to support capital.
