Llyr Gruffydd: May I thank the Minister for opening the debate? It seems that we've had this debate three or four times already in the past month or two, and I make no apology for the fact that the thanks for that is to Plaid Cymru, because we have been willing to grapple with this issue, rather than just nodding it through as perhaps would have happened usually. It's us as a party that have made the case...
Llyr Gruffydd: Now, during the recent debate on the further devolution of income tax powers to Wales, the finance Minister mentioned in her response that understanding the behavioural changes is key to developing a maturing Welsh tax policy agenda, and I agree with that, of course; Plaid Cymru agrees with that. It is an important factor to look at these things through a Welsh-specific context. But it is...
Llyr Gruffydd: That's hardly breaking news, Dirprwy Lywydd, but there we are. [Laughter.] Thank you for your valued contribution—appreciated, as always. I have to say that the Welsh Government's budget for 2023-24 is a reflection, let's be honest, of perhaps the most challenging set of financial circumstances that we've ever experienced in the devolution era. The pressures of the post-COVID recovery,...
Llyr Gruffydd: I'm sure you're not suggesting that that is our policy aim.
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much for the opportunity to contribute to this debate. Saying that it is a very difficult and challenging situation for local authorities is a serious understatement, I would think, and the Minister referred earlier to the current 12-month settlement—9.4 per cent. Twelve months ago, it was announced by the Minister, much better at the time than anyone had imagined, to be...
Llyr Gruffydd: Will you take an intervention?
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you. One of the reasons that I've been told that Conwy are facing such a steep increase is because previous leaders of the council were reticent to actually raise it as it should have been. They dipped into reserves, they left the council without the resilience that other local authorities have, and they have no option but to do it now because they've got years of catching up to do.
Llyr Gruffydd: Will you take an intervention?
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you. I just struggle a little bit with your characterisation that no other roads will ever be built. The projects that have been scrapped may well happen in another way. They may well actually be developed under an alternative proposal. So, it's quite disingenuous to try and convey that this is the end of road building in Wales. And you referred to economic development; there's actually...
Llyr Gruffydd: In their current form.
Llyr Gruffydd: Will you take an intervention?
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, it works both ways, because you need to remember as well that Members of your benches opposed the red route.
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Llywydd, and thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak in this short debate today. We can all be rightly proud of the internationalist outlook that has been a prominent part of our history, as Welsh people, over the years. Back in the early twentieth century, we had our Welsh League of United Nations, which campaigned for peace and international co-operation after the first...
Llyr Gruffydd: Now, more recently, of course, this Senedd has ensured that Wales is a nation of sanctuary, which is all about welcoming those from all across the world who have been displaced by war and conflict and those seeking a safe place to live. And, heaven knows, in light of some of the narrative coming from the Westminster Government at the moment, we really need to reflect on our responsibility to...
Llyr Gruffydd: In Wales, the road to genocide recognition began in 2001, of course, when Rhodri Morgan, then First Minister, laid flowers in memory of the 1915 genocide victims. Later, in 2010, there was an explicit recognition of the Armenian genocide by the First Minister, Carwyn Jones, when he paid homage to Armenian victims during the Holocaust memorial commemorations. The Church in Wales followed suit...
Llyr Gruffydd: First Minister, if a local authority who have their pensions funds invested in a particular energy generation company were to receive a request from that company for a development in their area, do you feel that there would be a conflict of interest in such a scenario? Because clearly, if there were a proposal, a project or infrastructure where the local authority is part of the decision for...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you to the Minister for presenting this supplementary budget, and thank you to the Finance Committee for the scrutiny work that they've done, which, of course, is valuable, as usual. Of course, this is the Government's supplementary budget, so it doesn't necessarily reflect the priorities we would want to promote in all cases, but I do think that there are broader messages, which are...
Llyr Gruffydd: Minister, we hear from week to week about the increasing crisis facing dentistry here in Wales. Now, the British Dental Association, of course, has warned that services on the NHS could to all intents and purposes come to an end, because there are so many dentists who have either given up, or are about to give up, their NHS contracts. Now, Ruthin is the latest dental surgery to hear this...
Llyr Gruffydd: Can I thank the Minister for opening this discussion? Plaid Cymru won’t be objecting to these regulations, but I did have a couple of questions that I’d like the Minister to address, if possible, given that I have an opportunity to raise them. The new valuation and appeals system is heavily predicated on the new VOA digital platform. So, can I ask what consideration has been made of those...
Llyr Gruffydd: 9. Will the Minister provide an update on the Government's efforts to revive the rural economy? OQ59312
