, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Finance
Diolch. I welcome that this Government is working towards its manifesto commitment to embed gender budgeting in Wales. International best practice places that responsibility for this with the Treasury—in that case, you, Minister—because budget decisions shape…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Finance
6. How will the Cabinet Minister ensure that gender budgeting becomes an integral part of budget development, decision making and scrutiny during this Senedd? OQ64710
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
First Minister, I'm proud to support a grass-roots campaign in Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg to stop the proposed small modular reactor nuclear project in the Llynfi valley by Last Energy. More extractive and harmful projects are not what our post-industrial…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
2. What action is the Government taking to support the creation of community energy projects and ensure that the benefits of Wales’s natural resources are retained in Wales? OQ64708
, Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
Inter-institutional Relations Agreement: evidence session
Thank you.
, Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
Inter-institutional Relations Agreement: evidence session
Yes, just quickly. I love that point on chapters. I think that that's quite an interesting way to put it. And I understand that what you were pointing to earlier was not having an exhaustive list of points that could limit us. But I think I would be…
, Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
Inter-institutional Relations Agreement: evidence session
Just finally from me, coming to that point of scope, are there any, in your view, any key gaps and suggested further areas for inclusion?
, Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
Inter-institutional Relations Agreement: evidence session
Definitely. We had that experience on a committee yesterday of the difficulty in scrutinising an LCM when you don't have enough information to do so. So, I'd be interested in how you think that we could edit the terms of a new agreement to ensure that there…
, Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
Inter-institutional Relations Agreement: evidence session
Diolch. I'd like to come back to the wider terms of the current IIRA and have your view on how effective that is to enable scrutiny.
, Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
Inter-institutional Relations Agreement: evidence session
Diolch. Some of it quite often uses the phrase 'not practicable'. Rather than that being used quite often, when we see that notice was really slow or information was minimal, is there something in the wording that we could have so that, where it's not…
, Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
Papers to note
Yes, just on that point, I think time is of the essence in getting a response, because I'm already aware that they are looking at letting staff go because of funding issues. And so, there's someone, or numerous people, who could be losing their jobs, which…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Prif Weinidog, as you've outlined, discussions about our international offices too often reduce them to a line in a budget, as if a desk abroad is simply a cost to be defended. But, as you said, an office is not just a desk, it's a doorway. The relationships…
, Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
Exactly. My intention wasn't to be mean to the Vale of Glamorgan; I'm trying to reflect the difficulty that they're facing in actually delivering the change that I know they really want to be able to do. I'm sure there are many examples of good practice that…
, Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
Just moving on from that, you've already mentioned budgets and how difficult it is. We know it's been very difficult for local authorities, for example, to enact change, given austerity, the ongoing cost of living. But I'll give an example: lots of local…
, Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
And we don't need to ask anyone to already know that one of the issues with the Act as it is is the lack of enforceable legal rights and mechanisms to hold public bodies accountable. So, I'd like to know if that will be considered in the review and, further…
, Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
I'll start with the review, just to pick a few things up. I think it would be really important to mention that one of the best things about the Act was how it came about, and that national conversation that was had with people right across Wales. So, it would…
, Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
Diolch.
, Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
I think what I'm driving more towards is: what protections have we got for the longer term, with the risk that UKIMA still has? That might work in the shorter term, with a Government that is co-operating, but, in the longer term, UKIMA is still the issue.
, Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
I am sceptical, given that we've got a Prime Minister right now who seems, as you say, to be more positive on devolution, but look at the number of Prime Ministers we've had in the last five or six years—that could change in 12 months' time; politics moves…
, Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
I like your positivity on this, however—
, Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
So, coming back to UKIMA itself, has there been any conversation with the UK Government on the difficulties that that places on devolution? And if the Welsh Government position is to wish to repeal it, what actions could be taken to move that forward?
, Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
So, it would be interesting to hear of those common frameworks that are more of a risk to devolution.
, Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
Yes, I do. I know you mentioned that this is the responsibility of the Cabinet Minister for Finance, but I would like to have some further understanding on your role in relation to common frameworks and also the Welsh Government position on the Act.
, Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
Diolch. We've moved ahead a little bit there. I know I had Pred down for a question on rewiring the state.
, Constitution, Justice and External Affairs Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
Thank you. I'm of the belief that a lot of this change is due to the damage that was caused by Brexit, and so I wanted to ask what discussions you're having on safeguards to protect us from the risks of centralised distribution, particularly of funding—for…
