30 January 2024 , Wales COVID-19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee
Briefing: Civil contingencies and preparedness for the publication of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry's report into Module 1
Okay. Thank you very much. Jack.
30 January 2024 , Wales COVID-19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee
Briefing: Civil contingencies and preparedness for the publication of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry's report into Module 1
Thank you very much for your presentation. A really, really interesting, fascinating presentation. Loads of strands there that I think all of us—I could see nodding heads in the room—were kind of thinking of going down. I'm very conscious of time as well…
30 January 2024 , Wales COVID-19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee
Briefing: Civil contingencies and preparedness for the publication of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry's report into Module 1
Hopefully that will come up on the screen. There we go.
30 January 2024 , Wales COVID-19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee
Briefing: Civil contingencies and preparedness for the publication of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry's report into Module 1
Oh, sorry. We'll start with that.
30 January 2024 , Wales COVID-19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee
Briefing: Civil contingencies and preparedness for the publication of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry's report into Module 1
Thank you, both, very much for being here this morning. I really appreciate your time and your expertise as well. Can I ask that Members are succinct, as we go through, because we've got a lot to cover and not very much time to cover it. And that applies to…
30 January 2024 , Wales COVID-19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee
Briefing: Civil contingencies and preparedness for the publication of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry's report into Module 1
The second item, then, on our agenda, is a briefing around civil contingencies and preparedness for the publication of the UK COVID-19 inquiry's report into module 1. Can I welcome the participants in the room to the meeting, and can I ask you to state your…
30 January 2024 , Wales COVID-19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee
Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest
Good morning and welcome to the Wales COVID-19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee. The first item on the agenda is apologies for absence. We've received apologies from Altaf Hussain. All other Members are present. Do any Members present have any declarations…
30 January 2024 , Plenary
The general principles of the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill and the financial resolution in respect of the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill
Standing here today listening to this debate, you wouldn't think that educational outcomes in Wales were the worst in the UK; you wouldn't think that people in Wales earn £3,000 less than people in Scotland; you wouldn't think that the Welsh economy was the…
30 January 2024 , Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: The final report of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales
First Minister, this report has cost so far a total of £1.5 million and counting. Quite frankly, it is not going to be taken forward under a Conservative Government, and before the ink was dry, it was slapped down by the Labour secretary of state, who said…
24 January 2024 , Plenary
Urgent Debate: Job losses at Tata Steel and the future of the steel industry in Wales
I'm not going to defend the Prime Minister not taking the First Minister's call. I think he should have taken the First Minister's call. But by the same measure, the Secretary of State for Wales called the First Minister on Friday and that call was not…
24 January 2024 , Plenary
Urgent Debate: Job losses at Tata Steel and the future of the steel industry in Wales
Will you take an intervention?
24 January 2024 , Plenary
Urgent Debate: Job losses at Tata Steel and the future of the steel industry in Wales
That's a highly politicised attack on the record of the UK Conservative Government when it comes to steel making, but shall we have a look at Labour's record when it was last in government? I know you were a part of it, Huw. Under Labour, steel production…
24 January 2024 , Plenary
Urgent Debate: Job losses at Tata Steel and the future of the steel industry in Wales
Yes, thank you for your intervention. The very next line of my speech addressed that. I appreciate the ambition here is longer term, which is why the short-term measures, like the UK Government transition fund, are so essential. I called it a UK Government…
24 January 2024 , Plenary
Urgent Debate: Job losses at Tata Steel and the future of the steel industry in Wales
Port Talbot is a town built on steel, and a town shaped by steel. Having visited the Port Talbot plant on a number of occasions since I was elected to this Senedd nearly three years ago, the stupidest question I ever asked was, 'How long have we been making…
24 January 2024 , Plenary
Topical Questions
I wasn't initially intending on coming in, but I'm interested in the answers you've given to some of the questions here today, where you've said that the focus for the consultation will be that people living on particular roads, where that road is 20 mph…
24 January 2024 , Plenary
Topical Questions
Wales is a rugby nation, and it is part of our national story. I think Welsh rugby is part of who we are as a Welsh nation. You'll know, and you made reference to it there in the answer to your previous question, that when John Whittingdale came to the…
24 January 2024 , Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Allegations surrounding the Welsh Rugby Union: evidence session with the Welsh Rugby Union
[Inaudible.]—understand they won the game.
24 January 2024 , Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Allegations surrounding the Welsh Rugby Union: evidence session with the Welsh Rugby Union
Okay. Thank you.
24 January 2024 , Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Allegations surrounding the Welsh Rugby Union: evidence session with the Welsh Rugby Union
And if you don't get that breathing space, does that mean fewer than four regions?
24 January 2024 , Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Allegations surrounding the Welsh Rugby Union: evidence session with the Welsh Rugby Union
Okay, thank you. And finally, can you give us a flavour of the impact that the interest rate paid on this loan is having on the regions in particular?
24 January 2024 , Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Allegations surrounding the Welsh Rugby Union: evidence session with the Welsh Rugby Union
I understand that. The reason I raise it is because, in the media, it seemed very firm that it could not happen; not that they did not want it to happen, but that it could not happen. And on that point about state subsidy—obviously, I'm not an expert in state…
24 January 2024 , Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Allegations surrounding the Welsh Rugby Union: evidence session with the Welsh Rugby Union
No, no.
24 January 2024 , Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Allegations surrounding the Welsh Rugby Union: evidence session with the Welsh Rugby Union
Obviously, I understand these things aren't solved immediately, but it's interesting that the Welsh Government appeared softer in the meeting to you than the kind of hardline, 'This would be against state subsidy law.'
24 January 2024 , Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Allegations surrounding the Welsh Rugby Union: evidence session with the Welsh Rugby Union
Okay. I'll come on to the impact of the interest rate in a second, but on the COVID recovery loan itself, your figures were slightly different to the ones I looked up. I'm not disputing yours—I'm sure mine are wrong—but I had it as 0.75 per cent as the base…
24 January 2024 , Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Allegations surrounding the Welsh Rugby Union: evidence session with the Welsh Rugby Union
Okay. Obviously, there has been a lot of attention recently in the media about the WRU's COVID recovery loan from the Welsh Government. Obviously I understand that that tracks the Bank of England base rates, so essentially the WRU is paying quite a lot more…
