Jeremy Miles: May I ask the Cabinet Secretary about the allocations to community pharmacy? I have in mind the statement by the health Secretary about his aspiration to increase the role of community pharmacy, to decrease the pressure on primary care and to integrate IT between hospitals, GPs and community pharmacies. Of course, it also offers the opportunity of relieving pressure on secondary care in terms...
Jeremy Miles: Could I just say, as a member of the committee, with the other members who are here today, how grateful we were to the stakeholders who came to discuss this issue with us over breakfast about a month ago? We had a very interesting morning, and I’d encourage everyone to read the report for a balanced view of the discussion that we had that morning. Mae ardrethi busnes yn amlwg yn rhan bwysig...
Jeremy Miles: Certainly, yes.
Jeremy Miles: Absolutely. That is, in fact, what we heard, and I was going to hope that the Welsh Government could take steps to help clarify that as part of the review, but, obviously, recognising it’s an issue across all parts of the UK in—
Jeremy Miles: Yes, certainly.
Jeremy Miles: Thank you for that clarification. The other major issue that came up in that discussion, I think, was the question of revaluation and the period between revaluations. Gaps, obviously—lengthy gaps—can mean unfair conditions for some businesses, where the valuation doesn’t track the general economic performance, and I think it’s clear from the latest revaluations in Wales that the...
Jeremy Miles: Will the Counsel General outline his assessment of the potential legal implications of the planned litigation against the UK Government in relation to Article 127 of the European Economic Area Agreement? EAQ(5)0015(CG)
Jeremy Miles: The First Minister will be aware of comments by the UK transport Secretary a few weeks ago that pressing for the electrification of the rail line from Cardiff to Swansea was jumping the gun and, most recently, comments by the chair of Network Rail that it was not a done deal. He’ll appreciate that my constituents in Neath and, I dare say, those of colleagues west of Cardiff will hear that...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Counsel General for his answer. Would he not agree with me that the principles being discussed here, in a sense, lie on the fault line between a hard and a soft Brexit, if you like? The UK will now leave the EU, but the question is: do we then also leave the EEA and the access to the single market that that brings? Article 127 suggests that that is a separate question and—if I...
Jeremy Miles: 3. What assessment has the Counsel General made of the likely impact of the UK Government’s Great Repeal Bill on Welsh legislation? OAQ(5)0012(CG)
Jeremy Miles: Thank you for that response. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to ensure that EU legislation that relates to devolved areas is actually transferred here to Wales?
Jeremy Miles: Diolch yn fawr. You mentioned the question of the split multiplier that applies in England and Scotland. Isn’t it the case, though, that we have to be cautious about drawing those direct comparisons, because the nature of the tax base is actually very different—certainly in England—from Wales? In particular with the small number of higher value rateable properties in Wales, the burden...
Jeremy Miles: Will the First Minister make a statement regarding the development of local supply chains in Neath?
Jeremy Miles: I note from the First Minister’s response that he will regard our capacity to generate green energy from the sea as a significant asset in tackling climate change for Wales as a tidal nation. As we await the decision of the Westminster Government in relation to the Swansea bay tidal lagoon, and welcome the first ever large-scale tidal energy farm off the coast of the Orkneys, does he join...
Jeremy Miles: Well, as a Member who is still comparatively new to this place, I hope I’ll be forgiven if I haven’t fully understood the conventions of the budget debate, although I think I’ve grasped the pattern over recent years. I haven’t myself been here to witness at first hand the cut, cut, cut to the Welsh Government’s budget over each successive year; I haven’t seen at first hand the...
Jeremy Miles: Will you take an intervention?
Jeremy Miles: I take your point about the OBR, but the OBR has also projected that the tiny increase is way below what even on their figures would be required to meet an actual living wage, and well below what the Labour Party are committing to introducing.
Jeremy Miles: I welcome the statement by the Cabinet Secretary, and in particular his comments about filling the market gap, if you like, in relation to the availability of finance for certain parts of the sector. In addition to small businesses, of course, medium-sized businesses have particular needs, and one of the issues has been incentivising owner-managers not to exit their companies early in the...
Jeremy Miles: I was pleased to hear the First Minister, in his response, refer to the role of Welsh public bodies in supporting not just Welsh producers and suppliers, but also they have a role in proactively supporting their local economies. What a difference it would make if all Welsh public bodies, or, indeed, all bodies in Wales in receipt of Welsh public funds, acted deliberately, proactively and...
Jeremy Miles: The leader of the house will have seen concerns in the press on the weekend that, when it comes to calculating the apprenticeship levy, local authority schools are being treated less favourably than English academies. The payroll of a local authority school may attract the levy, when the payroll of a similar-sized academy in England might not. Will the Government bring forward a statement,...
