Adam Price: Presiding Officer, I’d like to nominate Dafydd Elis-Thomas as Presiding Officer.
Adam Price: Leanne Wood.
Adam Price: I welcome the fact that the First Minister is going out to Mumbai. I was wondering, in light of the fact that the Welsh Government has supported the Excalibur bid, which is also very welcome, to date, will he be making active representations on behalf of that team? In terms of their vision, of course, we know that they are seeking a continuation of primary steel production; they’re also...
Adam Price: As the son of a miner who was at Orgreave during the strike, may I endorse Mick Antoniw’s demand for a full inquiry? Would the First Minister also agree that the remit needs to be as broad as possible, for example, to look at the claims about the use of the armed forces at the time, to look at the co-ordination of statements by police, as happened with Hillsborough, and of course the use of...
Adam Price: Thank you, First Minister, for an advance copy of the statement. The UK Government is reportedly putting significant pressure on Tata to reverse its decision to sell its UK assets in return for the writing off of its pension deficit liability and a £900 million loan. Could the First Minister clarify and place on the record his understanding as to whether that is the case? And does he...
Adam Price: One of the Government’s aims in terms of business development is to enhance the level of public procurement by Welsh businesses, and it is an aim that Plaid Cymru would agree with. But, if that is the case, then why has Business Wales cut the number of tender advisers that they were funding down from some 12 to 14 just a few years ago to two or three now, and what impact does the First...
Adam Price: I warmly welcome the clear focus in this report on that crucial link between language and economic development. For some of us who have been campaigning over decades for a viable future for the Welsh language as a community language in the traditional Welsh-speaking areas of west Wales, it is crucially important to realise that, unless we answer that fundamental question, there is no future...
Adam Price: Will the Minister make a statement on the availability of tinnitus retraining therapy across Wales?
Adam Price: Diolch, Lywydd. Can I first of all formally congratulate the Cabinet Secretary on his appointment and wish him every success in what is a vitally important role? Now, you can’t manage what you don’t measure, so the saying goes. When it became clear that Wales was not going to meet the target of closing the gap, relative to the UK, for gross value added, instead of changing the strategy,...
Adam Price: I’m amazed to see the Cabinet Secretary refer to exports as a symbol of Welsh success. Over the last two years, Welsh exports have dropped by over £2.6 billion. That’s a drop of 20 per cent in total. Let’s put that in a little bit of context, shall we? That’s the same reduction in exports, proportionally, as the UK experienced in the economic crisis between 2008 and 2009. It’s the...
Adam Price: Well, I think the question on most of our minds is: what would changing the Welsh Government do for the Welsh economy? They can hardly do any worse than the current administration. [Interruption.] Look, in the interests—[Interruption.]
Adam Price: In the interests of being charitable, I think it would be wrong to expect the new Cabinet Secretary to have all the answers at his first outing at ministerial questions. Indeed, that’s true of most Governments. That’s why most Governments in the world have an executive agency to help them deliver their economic strategy. Now, I realise it would be difficult for this Government to bring...
Adam Price: Can the First Minister explain the confusion that currently exists regarding air passenger duty? On 9 June Jim O’Neill, on behalf of the Treasury in London, had confirmed that the review on the devolution of the duty to Wales was ongoing, and then, just a few days later, Guto Bebb from the Wales Office stands up in the House of Commons saying that the decision has been taken not to devolve....
Adam Price: I think the fact that Welsh unemployment is now lower than the UK average is an important watershed moment. It’s happened a few times over the 30 years, but unfortunately all too rarely. Given that and the employment rate now, the difference is very small, would he accept that when we compare that to the fact that, overall, with our GVA per capita, there is a 30 per cent gap, the underlying...
Adam Price: Can I return to the issue raised by John Griffiths of the impact of the proposed metro for south-east Wales on the future levels of traffic in the region? The construction of a similar transport system for Bordeaux, which Welsh fans will have been able to see at first-hand recently, of course, has actually reduced traffic levels by 40 per cent since 2005. Now, if we were even able to achieve...
Adam Price: 1. What assessment has the Minister made of the future of community regeneration initiatives in the event of the UK leaving the European Union? OAQ(5)0013(CC)
Adam Price: The Minister will be aware that Wales received £2.4 billion from the structural funds in the current period, some quarter of the total for the United Kingdom, and more than all of the other devolved assemblies—London, Scotland and Northern Ireland—put together. Would the Secretary agree with me that this reflects one of the core values of the European project, namely, solidarity between...
Adam Price: I think it is important to concentrate on facts and not project fear. We should be focusing on project—[Interruption.]
Adam Price: I’ll take an intervention; it would be entertaining, no doubt. [Interruption.]
Adam Price: We should be—[Interruption.]
