Nick Ramsay: Will you take an intervention? It's on that specific point about BIDs, and it's a key point. I know that they work very well in many areas, but certainly in my area, I know that Abergavenny was given the option of having a BID and rejected it. So, would you agree with me that, when you're setting up a business area like that, it's important that you get buy-in in advance from the...
Nick Ramsay: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. The Minister was very generous there in taking my intervention, given that I was just about to stand up. Feel free to take some of my time, if you want.
Nick Ramsay: Of course, yes. Thank you. I'll get on with my comments. David Melding's highly constructive introduction to this debate set the tone for this debate—and can I thank everyone who has contributed? You spoke in a fine fashion, as ever, David. You used a number of key terms such as 'cities as urban engines' and 'centres of innovation' and you spoke about the need to boost urban...
Nick Ramsay: I knew you wouldn't let me. Take this debate where it comes from: it is, as David Melding said at the start, an attempt at a constructive contribution to a debate that I know we all want to have, we all need to have, and let's get on with the job of making our urban areas in Wales a better place for everyone who lives in them.
Nick Ramsay: Leader of the house, this lunchtime, I was pleased to attend an event hosted by Julie Morgan for Breast Cancer Care at the Pierhead, and I know that other Members—Siân Gwenllian, Jenny Rathbone, I think, as well, and Hannah Blythyn—attended. It was an excellent, very moving event actually hearing the first-hand experiences of sufferers from breast cancer. The organisation seeks to...
Nick Ramsay: 5. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to support agriculture in Monmouth? OAQ52302
Nick Ramsay: 5. What measures is the Welsh Government taking to improve access to public services for residents in Monmouth? OAQ52303
Nick Ramsay: Diolch. I wonder if you could update us on your policies for tackling the ongoing problem of bovine tuberculosis in my area and, indeed, across Wales. Farmers in Monmouthshire continue to be deeply concerned at the rates of infection in what is a hotspot area and has been now for some time. I'm sure you'd agree with me that it's one thing to deal with the rates of infection within...
Nick Ramsay: I'm pleased to hear that, Cabinet Secretary. I listened with interest to your exchange with my colleague Janet Finch-Saunders earlier. It did strike me that it was very much groundhog day in terms of the conversation that you had. I have to say that I did agree with you on your comment that you should be—as I often do, actually; it's only big things we disagree. [Interruption.] I'm getting...
Nick Ramsay: First Minister, I'm sure you would agree with me, key to low reoffending rates is training prior to release. I recently opened a very successful jobs fair at Prescoed open prison in my constituency—it was hosted partially by Careers Wales—where ex-offenders had the opportunity to meet with employers, both local and from further afield, to see how they could best apply valuable skills that...
Nick Ramsay: Diolch, Llywydd. Leader of the house, this lunch time I was pleased to host the Agricultural Law Association event in the Senedd, attended by my colleague David Melding and a number of other AMs. The subject was the devolution of taxation and the impact of primarily stamp duty—land transaction tax—on rural communities in Wales and the agricultural community. I wonder if we could have an...
Nick Ramsay: Yes. Actually, we're very pleased with the way that the tax arrangements were implemented—the historic tax arrangements for Wales—because it was all done digitally. It was a very complex project and, actually, there were no problems at all, which is always very pleasing, Llywydd. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance is always very anxious to have occasions on which he can wax eloquent about...
Nick Ramsay: 5. Will the Leader of the House provide an update on Welsh Government policies for supporting the LGBT community? OAQ52337
Nick Ramsay: Will the Leader of the House make a statement on the Welsh Government's policies for tackling domestic abuse?
Nick Ramsay: Diolch, Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, I'd like to ask you about the proposed use of the mutual investment model, and specifically with regard to twenty-first century schools. You will be aware that the Public Accounts Committee has been investigating the use of the mutual investment model for financing capital projects, specifically band B of the twenty-first century schools programme. There...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. You spoke about the way that the mutual investment model differs from PFI; I think this has been an area of some confusion. There is a lack of clarity out there as to the nature of the differences with traditional PFI. If I can just give some examples: in a conventional PFI—a PF1 or PF2 deal—soft services are usually considered to include catering and...
Nick Ramsay: I'm getting the message that my questions have pre-empted a statement that can be expected from the Welsh Government in the near future. Maybe I'm ahead of the game. Thank you for that, Cabinet Secretary. Certainly in terms of the work that we've done in the Public Accounts Committee, there has been a message coming across that there's been a concern about a lack of communication between the...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, leader of the house. I was pleased to share a cross-party platform recently with the First Minister at an event sponsored by PinkNews to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the introduction of section 28, and also to welcome the progress in recent years by governments of all colours in advancing the rights of the LGBT community. You mentioned funding for Stonewall Cymru, and I'm sure...
Nick Ramsay: Can I thank the Chair for his statement? You've covered most bases there, actually, Simon, and we considered this in-depth during our short inquiry on the Finance Committee, so I've only got a couple of questions, a couple of areas I'd like to highlight. This probably isn't the subject over dinner tables across Wales, but it is, certainly—[Interruption.] Well, maybe yours, Simon....
Nick Ramsay: First Minister, there have been concerns expressed from some quarters that we may be putting all our eggs in the electric basket and the electrification basket in terms of rail and cars at the very point when some countries are moving fast towards a hydrogen economy. I suspect that, over the medium term, it will be a mixture of both that will provide the carbon reductions that we need....
