27 April 2022 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
I regularly engage with the Minister for Economy on a range of issues, including tourism. We have delivered a budget allocation of over £16.9 million per year to support tourism throughout Wales over the next three-year period, including eight projects in…
27 April 2022 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Our package of support that we're able to offer people living in Wales is almost double that which we've received in consequentials from the UK Government. So, you will get the £150 payment in households in bands A to D in Wales, but you'll also get it in all…
27 April 2022 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Rhianon Passmore is absolutely right that the recent spring statement was an absolute scandal in terms of not being able to address the cost-of-living crisis that is now facing individuals and families right across Wales. It's only now that families will…
27 April 2022 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
I have raised the cost-of-living crisis with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury several times, however, the UK Government support still does not go far enough. We will continue to assist those most vulnerable through this crisis and push the UK Government to…
27 April 2022 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
I'd absolutely like to join Jane Dodds in recognising the important role of town and community councillors in serving and shaping their local communities, and I've had some really good meetings with One Voice Wales to understand what the sector believes that…
27 April 2022 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Absolutely. We do all have a personal responsibility to show leadership in this area and to undertake constructive and robust debate. You can have a robust debate without resorting to those personal attacks, and I do think that it puts off people from…
27 April 2022 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Absolutely. I think that anybody who puts themselves forward for public service through election is doing something incredibly brave, and it is important that people have that opportunity to make that contribution to their communities and are able to do so in…
27 April 2022 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
While we don't centrally collect information on the number of uncontested seats in Welsh local government elections, I'm aware the Electoral Reform Society states that there are 74 uncontested seats across Wales.
27 April 2022 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
So, just to be clear, the £1,000 payment that we're talking about here is not a bonus payment. We were able to pay two bonus payments to people working in the social care sector during the course of the pandemic. The first was a £500 payment and then a second…
27 April 2022 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Well, Welsh Government was very pleased to deliver very early on our manifesto commitment to deliver a real living wage for people working in the social care sector, and, of course, that work is being led by the Minister with responsibility for social…
27 April 2022 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
I always like to answer a direct question with a direct answer. So, no, I do not agree with the Member on that. I am surprised that, in the week of local government elections, or just before that week of local government elections, the Conservative Member…
27 April 2022 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
I think we've all got a shared interest in ensuring that the strategic partnership landscape across Wales is fit for purpose and is enabling rather than hindering delivery for communities. I think regional partnership boards in particular do have a special…
27 April 2022 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Yes, thank you absolutely for giving me that opportunity to put on record my thanks, and Welsh Government's thanks, to councillors of all political parties and none, who have served their communities over the past years, and especially to those who are…
27 April 2022 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
I'm very grateful to Altaf Hussain for raising the Preston model—it's something that Welsh Government has been very interested in as we've been developing our own work on the foundational economy. And it's certainly a model that we did explore in terms of…
27 April 2022 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
I'm grateful to Sioned for raising an important issue, especially in the context of having those resilient communities as we move into a very difficult period. And we are absolutely committed, as a Welsh Government, to strengthening the foundational economy…
27 April 2022 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
The economy Minister announced a £1 million backing local firms fund to support the local economy across Wales to deliver more of the products and services required by the public sector. Together with a significantly increased local government settlement…
27 April 2022 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
I thank Peter Fox for raising this issue this afternoon. I know we will have more of an opportunity to get into some of the detail in the debate that is also scheduled for Plenary today. But it is the case, as Peter Fox recognises, that we did consult on our…
27 April 2022 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
I held a round-table meeting with the Minister for Economy, Minister for Climate Change and the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language on 7 February to discuss the outcome of the consultation on local taxes for second homes and self-catering…
26 April 2022 , Plenary
& 13. Debate on the General Principles of the Welsh Tax Acts etc. (Power to Modify) Bill and Motion to agree the financial resolution in respect of the Welsh Tax Acts etc. (Power to Modify) Bill
Diolch, Llywydd, and thank you to all colleagues for the comments that they've made in the debate this afternoon. I think that, undoubtedly, there are some real points of detail that, as we progress through the scrutiny process—and I do hope that we are able…
26 April 2022 , Plenary
& 13. Debate on the General Principles of the Welsh Tax Acts etc. (Power to Modify) Bill and Motion to agree the financial resolution in respect of the Welsh Tax Acts etc. (Power to Modify) Bill
Diolch, Llywydd. I move the motions. It's a privilege to open this debate on the general principles of the Welsh Tax Acts etc. (Power to Modify) Bill, and to move the motion and the financial resolution. As Members have remarked many times in this Chamber…
29 March 2022 , Plenary
The Local Authorities (Amendments Relating to Publication of Information) (Wales) Regulations 2022
Diolch, Llywydd. I welcome the opportunity to bring forward these amending regulations today. The Local Authorities (Amendments Relating to Publication of Information) (Wales) Regulations 2022 will remove the requirement to make members of principal councils'…
29 March 2022 , Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Non-Domestic Rates Reform
Thank you very much for raising these issues, and that is the big challenge, isn't it, in terms of balancing the needs of business alongside the needs of local government, who provide the services upon which we all rely. So, that is the challenge that I set…
29 March 2022 , Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Non-Domestic Rates Reform
I'm grateful for the questions and the comments there, and I'll start off with land value tax, because that, I know, is an area of joint interest between our parties. I just want to confirm that the work will be going on in parallel with the changes that we…
29 March 2022 , Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Non-Domestic Rates Reform
I thank Sam Rowlands for those comments, and just to reiterate what I said in my statement, that this statement today is very much the sister statement of the statement I made on the reform of council tax back in December. And of course, this is a significant…
29 March 2022 , Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Non-Domestic Rates Reform
Diolch. In February 2021 I published 'Reforming Local Government Finance in Wales: Summary of Findings'. Alongside reforms to council tax, this comprehensive report explored how the non‑domestic rates system could be improved, considered changes to the…
