Llyr Gruffydd: I'm pleased to contribute to this debate as Chair of the Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee, and you'll be aware that the committee wrote to the Business Committee back in September outlining what we considered to be the key challenges for the Senedd in scrutinising LCMs. We asked the Business Committee to undertake a review into the LCM process to ensure that it is fit...
Llyr Gruffydd: 7. What discussions has the Welsh Government had with Chester Football Club and Flintshire County Council following the match at the Deva Stadium on 28 December 2021? OQ57394
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for that response. Certainly, we need a pragmatic resolution to this situation. I'm sure you too would appreciate the need for consistency, because supporters have been in touch with me asking why they have to follow the rules if another club can ignore them. And if the Government and the relevant authorities aren't consistent in the way they enforce these rules, then it's only a...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd, and thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this debate on the statement on the Welsh draft budget. The Minister has described this budget—and we’ve just heard the Conservative spokesperson repeating that—as a budget that will create a fairer, greener and stronger Wales. But I will go further and say that, thanks to Plaid Cymru, this budget...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Llywydd. I won't sing the question, I'm afraid. 1. What support does the Welsh Government provide to prevent flood damage resulting from climate change in communities in north Wales? OQ57533
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for that response. It's good to hear that. Of course, one frustration is that it takes so long, very often, to deal with repairing infrastructure. In the meantime, the damage can become worse, and the costs can increase. I'm thinking of examples such as the B5606 in Newbridge near Wrexham. It's over a year now since the damage was done there. And Llannerch bridge in...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Minister, for your statement. I've used, of course, in the past the comparison that the Welsh economy is like a bucket with holes in it, and it's not water flowing out of it but wealth and money that would strengthen the Welsh economy and local economies across Wales if we managed to close those holes in the bucket. We are, of course, talking about huge sums here: £6.3 billion a...
Llyr Gruffydd: Finally, Minister, you mentioned the UK Government's procurement reform Bill, of course, and you know where Plaid Cymru stands on letting the UK Government legislate on matters that have actually been devolved to us here in the Senedd. Peter Fox was asking about how we can ensure legislative coherence. Well, let's do it ourselves—let's make sure that both pieces of legislation are...
Llyr Gruffydd: What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the extent to which Natural Resources Wales has adequate resources to undertake its duties?
Llyr Gruffydd: 2. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on local authority budgets? OQ57575
Llyr Gruffydd: 7. Will the Minister provide an update on efforts to ensure that any food produced in Wales is used efficiently? OQ57576
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, there is a cost-of-living tsunami breaking around us, isn't there, Minister? And once again, local authorities, among others of course, will be in the eye of the storm as they continue to deal on the one hand with the challenges of COVID, whilst also having to step in with additional support as people rely more on their services, because they can't afford to pay their rent, or heat...
Llyr Gruffydd: Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, the blatant denial of funding to Wales by the Westminster Government has probably gone to another level, hasn't it, this week. Maybe we shouldn't be surprised, because we already know that the UK Government is denying Wales our £5 billion share of HS2 funding—money, by the way, that they've given to Scotland and they've given to Northern Ireland. Westminster is...
Llyr Gruffydd: And, of course, not only are they denying us the funding that's rightfully ours, but they're also denying us the fiscal levers that would really help make a difference to people's lives here in Wales, from intentionally restricting what fiscal powers we have to denying us powers over other key levers like corporation tax, value added tax and air passenger duty. As you said earlier in a...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for that response. FareShare Cymru has celebrated its tenth birthday recently, and they're needed now more than ever, I would say. One aspect of their work is to run the Surplus with Purpose Cymru fund. The fund—which is funded by Government, in fairness—is intended to work with food businesses and farmers to prevent food waste by paying the costs of harvesting, packaging,...
Llyr Gruffydd: I will, first of all, speak in my capacity as my party's spokesperson on finance, and then make some comments as committee Chair, with your permission. As Plaid Cymru, we do welcome that this is a multi-year budget, as we heard from the Chair of the Finance Committee. I think we've waited around five years to be in this position. It's miraculous how public bodies and the Government itself, to...
Llyr Gruffydd: We also know, of course—and it's nothing new—that if Welsh budgets had kept pace with inflation, then, as the Minister regularly reminds us, there would be an additional £3 billion in the budget that we're discussing today. But, no. So, let not the Conservatives come here and tell us how lucky we are. The truth is that it's quite the opposite. Indeed, by the end of the third year, in...
Llyr Gruffydd: —that is commensurate with its role and responsibilities. We don’t want to be back discussing this again next year. Thank you.
Llyr Gruffydd: What additional steps is the Welsh Government taking to ensure that people do not go hungry in light of the cost-of-living crisis?
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Llywydd. Well, the appallingly sad news of the loss of Aled came as a huge shock to many of us, of course. I was aware that he hadn't been in the best of health over the past 12 months, but when the news broke yesterday, we were all shaken by the loss of a sincere, warm, humorous, and very passionate man. But it was a gentle passion that Aled had—he was one who was always willing...
