Mark Drakeford: Thank you very much to Suzy Davies for those comments. Rhodri Glyn Thomas states in the report that they didn’t just want to rake over old ground that people had looked at previously. They wanted to move the debate forward and draw lessons from the work that has already been done, but also to set down some new issues for us to discuss and also some practical steps that people can take....
Mark Drakeford: Can I thank Mike for those questions? He points to one of the fantastic phenomenons of our time—the growth of Welsh-medium education. Here in the city of Cardiff, when I first chaired South Glamorgan’s Welsh-medium working group in the 1980s, the number of young people who were obtaining an education through the medium of Welsh was literally a fraction of the number that are there today....
Mark Drakeford: Well, I acknowledge what the Member says. I have heard the First Minister saying the same things over the years with regard to the importance of those traditional Welsh-speaking communities where the language is used every day. O ran y pwynt ehangach a ddiweddodd arno, bydd yn gwerthfawrogi bod y rheini yn rhan o drafodaethau ehangach yr ydym yn eu cael ac yn awyddus i barhau i'w cael. Ceir...
Mark Drakeford: Diolch yn fawr, Lywydd. Can I thank those Members who have brought this important debate to the floor of the Assembly this afternoon? My job is to set out the position of the Welsh Government, and that position is absolutely clear. Our continued membership of the European Union is pivotal to our future in all its fundamental dimensions. Now, we’ve heard a series of contributions this...
Mark Drakeford: Climate change is perhaps the biggest threat to our future generations, and the Welsh Government is committed to reducing net Welsh emissions by at least 80 per cent by 2050. Renewable energy sources such as wind power have a critical part to play in achieving this.
Mark Drakeford: The Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure will be updating the Assembly on this subject, as well as the Wales and borders franchise on 12 July.
Mark Drakeford: My priority is to continue to take a broad range of actions to improve the economy, grow prosperity and deliver greater financial security for businesses and individuals in Pembrokeshire and across Wales.
Mark Drakeford: Our priorities for the UK’s presidency will be linked to the new programme for government. Areas such as strengthening the single market, jobs and growth and structural funds are long-standing European priorities for us alongside other key areas such as agriculture, fisheries, sustainable development and support for research and innovation.
Mark Drakeford: Our priority is to build on our pro-business approach, to grow prosperity, support jobs and deliver greater financial security for businesses and individuals.
Mark Drakeford: Superfast Cymru is providing access to superfast broadband to communities across mid and west Wales. The average broadband speed for those premises given access as part of the project across the region is 63.61 Mbps.
Mark Drakeford: Diolch yn fawr, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Can I begin by thanking the Conservative group at the Assembly for using their time this afternoon to bring forward this debate? I’ve listened very carefully to each contribution, and I’m very glad to have this opportunity to discuss the future of local government in Wales and to set out some of my own early thinking. My starting point, Dirprwy Lywydd, is...
Mark Drakeford: All of these remain important ingredients in securing effective local government for the future. As far as the map is concerned, I have been clear in my discussions with local authorities and others that my intention is to spend these early weeks talking, listening and learning. My aim will be to seek a consensus, if that is at all possible, on a way forward. It is my strong preference for...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, I was very glad to meet the leader and chief executive of Monmouthshire County Council 10 days ago. It was a very constructive meeting. They have a series of interesting ideas, which they’ve promised to provide further information to me about. I was very pleased to accept their invitation to visit Monmouthshire again to see some of the practical work they’re doing around...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, I’m very alert to the corrosive effect that uncertainty produces for those who work in local authorities and those who put themselves forward for election. I will publish a written statement tomorrow. I wanted to wait until I’d heard what people had said today before finalising that statement, but I’m happy to confirm, in direct answer to Andrew Davies’s question, that that...
Mark Drakeford: Diolch yn fawr, Lywydd. Well, there’s a motion before the National Assembly this afternoon that sets out three tests for a decision to take Wales out of the European Union, and, as has been undoubtedly demonstrated over the last hour, the motion fails on each one of those tests that they would have us accept. Wales would neither be stronger, safer and certainly not more prosperous if we...
Mark Drakeford: Well, that’s an extremely good point that the Member makes. It plays into, I think, the third part of the proposition that we’re invited to sign up to this afternoon: that, somehow, we would be more prosperous if we were to leave the European Union; that we would be more prosperous without the 500 companies from other EU countries that have operations in Wales, providing more than 57,000...
Mark Drakeford: Diolch yn fawr, Lywydd. I’m very glad that I’ve had the chance to stay and hear this short debate. I thought Julie Morgan’s contribution was absolutely characteristically thoughtful about the issues and committed to finding answers for people who need them most of all. She began by talking about the life of Jo Cox, and I don’t think there’s anything I could say that would add to the...
Mark Drakeford: We expect Network Rail and the UK Government to honour their commitments to delivering electrification of the London-to-Swansea main line. Electrification of the main line will be a massive step forward in creating a modern train service that is capable of meeting future demand and supporting economic growth across Wales.
Mark Drakeford: Our tourism strategy sets out our priorities to support the tourism industry. Mid Wales offers a range of heritage, landscapes, activities and tourism destinations, which are promoted and marketed through our Visit Wales website.
Mark Drakeford: We have recognised British Sign Language as a language in its own right. Our Wales-specific equality duties help us promote the language to service providers, who have a responsibility to ensure they provide access to services in accessible formats for everyone who needs them.
