, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
So, I was surprised by the response of the leader of Plaid Cymru to my response to his debate last week, because I thought that I was very fair and measured in setting out that it is important for the Welsh Government to understand the proper implications of…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Well, I think what's really clear from the auditor general’s report is that our acquisition of Gilestone Farm, to allow Green Man to develop its plans, was value for money, properly aligned to our economic ambitions, and followed the appropriate processes and…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Well, if my colleague, the economy Minister—sorry, the transport Minister—within whose portfolio this sits was answering the question, I'm sure he would refer you to the fact that the airport does have a particular plan to put itself on a sustainable footing…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Well, I share your hope that the members of the unions will now accept the enhanced offer that has been made, which, just to be clear, is over and above the offer that was previously made when we accepted the recommendations of the independent pay review…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
I'm very grateful for the question and also, as Cefin Campbell has done, for recognising the important role that buses play in terms of serving our rural communities in particular. I will ask the Deputy Minister to provide a greater update as those…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
I had a meeting just last week with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change and the Minister for Climate Change to discuss this issue and other issues in relation to pressures within the overall transport system. I was pleased that there were some…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
I would refer the Member to the joint statement on the bus emergency scheme that was issued by the Welsh Government, the Welsh Local Government Association, the Confederation of Passenger Transport and the Coach and Bus Association Cymru last week, which set…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
I'm grateful for the question and completely agree with the points that are made about bus services being a critical part of our approach to delivering social justice here in Wales, and, of course, an important part of our environmental aspirations as well. I…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
I regularly engage with my Cabinet colleagues on funding issues. In this financial year, we have made available over £110 million of funding to protect and grow bus services right across Wales. The bus emergency scheme has also been extended into the next…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Well, I would gently remind the Member that, under the UK Conservative Government, the tax burden on people in Wales, and across the UK, is now at a 70-year high as a result of the decisions that that Government has made. But I do think that Scottish rates of…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
I'm very grateful to Hefin David for the question, and for raising Welsh rates of income tax this afternoon. And I completely agree with his assessment that it is not the right time, in a cost-of-living crisis, to be asking those who are on the absolute…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Raising the basic rate would add additional costs on those less able to afford it at a time when the UK Government has frozen income tax thresholds, dragging lower earners into the income tax system.
, Plenary
Debate: The Police Settlement 2023-24
Diolch. I'd like to thank colleagues for their interest and their contributions today, and colleagues have made it very clear that we have huge appreciation for the work that police officers do in communities across Wales, and I do share those concerns that…
, Plenary
Debate: The Police Settlement 2023-24
Diolch. Today, I'm presenting to the Senedd, for its approval, details of the Welsh Government's contribution to the core revenue funding for the four police and crime commissioners in Wales for 2023-24. Firstly, I'd like to record my gratitude to the police…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Income tax devolution
I do recognise that, and of course you'll see that we also are expecting net additional revenue here in Wales as a result of the block grant adjustment. It's just simply important and responsible to consider the risks before we seek to devolve powers any…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Income tax devolution
I will give way when I've finished my sentence.
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Income tax devolution
Yes, and that would be another one of those challenges, and again I'll come onto the Scottish experience there as well. Just to round off what I was saying in relation to the higher bands, growth in revenues for those two bands does tend to be more volatile…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Income tax devolution
I'll happily explore the issue between Austria and Germany. I would suggest that the situation is somewhat different here in Wales, given the fact that we are talking about different tax rates operating within the United Kingdom, and I will come onto that…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Income tax devolution
Yes, so that's set out in legislation and in guidance; we use the same kind of thing for council tax as well. So, obviously, Welsh Government officials and HMRC officials are in constant contact, both in terms of Welsh Treasury and the local government…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Income tax devolution
Of course.
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Income tax devolution
Yes, I am, absolutely, going to come on to the points within the motion that relate to the rates and bands and so on, but I did want to add that there is considerable uncertainty relating to the impact of raising the higher and additional rates. And the…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Income tax devolution
Of course.
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Income tax devolution
Diolch, Llywydd. Well, this has been a really interesting debate this afternoon, and I absolutely agree with Mike Hedges that it is really good to be talking about tax in a more open and searching way that is just outside of our normal budget-setting process…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Income tax devolution
Formally.
, Plenary
Debate: The Draft Budget 2023-24
Of course, our capital budget falls by 8 per cent in real terms in the next financial year, so hearing about additional ideas from the Conservative benches as to how we could be spending capital is difficult to swallow when there wasn't a single extra penny…
