Mark Reckless: Because you ignore what they tell you.
Mark Reckless: 7. What is the Welsh Government's assessment of the impact of a customs or regulatory border in the Irish Sea? OAQ52750
Mark Reckless: I'm pleased to hear that Welsh Government will at least be supporting work to see if we can secure funding for the transporter bridge, and I hope it may support it with its own funding, depending on how that work progresses. I wonder, therefore, if I could ask the First Minister whether he would also support the industrial heritage of Newport by funding an equally inspiring new bridge over...
Mark Reckless: First Minister, you spoke eloquently last week about the importance of Northern Ireland and its peace process for Brexit. Doesn't the European Commission proposing a border of any sort in the Irish sea act as a red rag to a bull for the unionist community in Northern Ireland? And shouldn't it instead apply its technical work for de-dramatising that proposed border to agreeing a free trade...
Mark Reckless: I recall at committee stage discussing with the Cabinet Secretary when he'd be bringing forward regulations and the extent to which these would turn on questions of detail or be more substantive. I'm not quite sure which this falls into, but I've got a couple of questions for him. Firstly, has the Welsh Revenue Authority been disapplying or giving a relief in terms of tax to date in the...
Mark Reckless: 4. What effect has the 6 per cent land transaction tax rate had on tax revenue from commercial property transactions of over £1 million since April 2018? OAQ52724
Mark Reckless: Yes, well, the Cabinet Secretary is no doubt aware that the land transaction tax base is commercial property transactions, and, according to the CoStar review of commercial property investment for the second quarter, which, I understand, surveys all commercial transactions above that size and many more across the UK, the total amount of commercial property investment in Wales in the second...
Mark Reckless: It's in your budget for this year; you're relying on them.
Mark Reckless: One transaction.
Mark Reckless: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm grateful to you and the Cabinet Secretary for facilitating this debate. On 17 December, tolls on the Severn bridges will be abolished. The economic geography of south Wales and the west of England will be revolutionised. Nowhere is better placed to reap the benefit than Newport. And ending the tolls is not the only change to our infrastructure that will...
Mark Reckless: Further, does the Cabinet Secretary recognise that it is rising residential values that will unlock many more sites in Newport and help house builders pay towards infrastructure, section 106 agreements and affordable housing? I would emphasise that house building does not just increase the amount and choice of housing available; it also drives economic growth, creates jobs and generates tax...
Mark Reckless: Will the First Minister provide an update regarding the dualling of the Heads of the Valleys road?
Mark Reckless: 5. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the outlook for teachers’ pay following the devolution of powers in this area? OAQ52764
Mark Reckless: Sorry, Llywydd. Am I saying: 'Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the outlook for teachers’ pay following the devolution of powers'? Or have we been there?
Mark Reckless: Yes. What, Cabinet Secretary, do you see as the key opportunities from the devolution of pay specifically? And how significantly do you expect the regime for pay to diverge from that in England, particularly in the early years?
Mark Reckless: 6. Will the First Minister make a statement on how the Welsh Government plans to allocate the Barnett consequentials that emanate from the UK Government's budget? OAQ52844
Mark Reckless: We look forward to hearing those details in due course, if not today. But the First Minister did say to the Member for Cynon Valley earlier that she's right to say the Welsh Government offered support to business. He didn't repeat her perhaps more questionable claims that it offered more support than anywhere else in the UK, or that more businesses in Wales received support than elsewhere....
Mark Reckless: Apologies that Mark Reckless wasn't in his space. [Laughter.] I had assumed that the Chair of the standards committee would be speaking first. There's no notice of this event on the computer system we have here for the agenda. It wasn't mentioned as a change to the agenda by the acting leader of the house. I did get an e-mail at 12.34 p.m. with a link to an agenda, with this as an unnumbered...
Mark Reckless: Will the Member give way? I wonder if she could answer a question—very genuinely. When she says that the commissioner asked for this acting commissioner to be appointed, can she assure Members that no pressure was brought on the commissioner by any Member prior to that decision in any way?
Mark Reckless: Just in time. [Laughter.]
