Nick Ramsay: Cabinet Secretary, Huw Irranca-Davies has actually covered most bases in his excellent question to you, and you gave a full answer. I think we would all agree that every child deserves the best start in life, but, for some young people, their background and parents’ profession does make that difficult, and that is especially true in the case of the children of our armed forces. You’ve...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, Mike—just giving you some of your own medicine there. You’re right to say that the banking crisis was caused by America, but, of course, that Labour Government went into that crisis in 2008 with a deficit of £80 billion. We weren’t starting off from the position we should have been in.
Nick Ramsay: Thanks, Neil Hamilton, for giving way. And you’re quite right to say that the national debt has, of course, increased since 2010, but it’s the deficit that was the point. The deficit has been reduced, and the Chancellor George Osborne was always honest about the fact that it would take a long time to turn this supertanker around. You can’t do it overnight, unless you wanted to cause...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you. Well, if you weren’t aware that the Welsh Conservatives believe in strong and stable leadership before this debate, you are now, and our motion and the contributions made today, certainly from this side of the Chamber, have reiterated the need for that UK leadership to continue beyond 8 June. Now, of course, whilst there is a tangible threat posed to the UK’s economy and...
Nick Ramsay: I will.
Nick Ramsay: Debt is an important part, an important fiscal tool, and we have been in debt. But you go back to the 1990s, when the deficit was running around £20 billion, and you look at when the Labour Party left power in 2010, and it’s running at well over £150 billion. So, clearly, it has been an upward trajectory and that needs to be controlled. As Plaid Cymru have entered this debate, can I just...
Nick Ramsay: And Plaid—[Interruption.] And Plaid Cymru was part of that Welsh Government between 1999 and—[Inaudible.]
Nick Ramsay: [Inaudible.]—over the last few months. It’s a shame that Plaid Cymru are choosing to attack the Conservative party when the blame does not lie here. Let’s get on with the job of delivering strong and stable leadership for the UK.
Nick Ramsay: First Minister, last year’s UK budget provided a valuable boost to capital infrastructure spending in Wales and shows what can be achieved when Welsh and UK Governments work together. Do you agree with me that the projects that you mentioned, the welcome agreement on a Cardiff city deal, and today’s announcement on the scrapping of the Severn bridge tolls, shows what can be achieved and...
Nick Ramsay: Three brief areas, if I may, leader of the house. Firstly, can I support Mark Isherwood’s earlier call for a statement on support given by the Welsh Government for rare diseases in Wales? I think you mentioned vasculitis, an area of concern close to my heart. Many of these sufferers of rarer diseases do often feel left out. It’s natural for large diseases—cancer, heart disease—to get...
Nick Ramsay: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the Welsh Government's policies for improving nutrition in Welsh hospitals?
Nick Ramsay: Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on his priorities for the NHS in south-east Wales?
Nick Ramsay: Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on his policies for boosting economic growth in south-east Wales?
Nick Ramsay: First Minister, 60 years ago I would’ve been able to travel from my village of Raglan in Monmouthshire by rail to Cardiff. That can’t be done now, because obviously, we lost a lot of the branch line rail network back in the 1950s and 1960s. You’ve mentioned the need to make sure that the metro is expandable and that it reaches areas of south Wales and the south-east Wales city region...
Nick Ramsay: Not that one. I think we can share that.
Nick Ramsay: Will the First Minister make a statement on his economic priorities for south-east Wales?
Nick Ramsay: I’m pleased to support this motion, and in my contribution I’d like to focus on the first part of the Welsh Conservative motion relating to the Severn crossings. The Prime Minister’s commitment to scrap tolls on the Severn crossings is potentially a game changer for the Welsh economy, delivering, as Dai Lloyd referred to, a £100 million boost, potentially. It’s also a very exciting...
Nick Ramsay: Just to help you out with the geography of Monmouthshire here, there are some major solar farm developments—one just outside Llanvapley and one not far from Llancayo. Would you agree with me that, as good as those development are, it’s important that the local communities get the necessary benefits from those developments? Because in some cases, those communities haven’t been fully...
Nick Ramsay: Cabinet Secretary, yesterday, the Welsh Government didn’t move the motion to agree the financial resolution in respect of the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill—the first time, I believe, that this has happened, although there have been issues with previous costings for legislation. As Cabinet Secretary for finance, are you concerned that the costings associated...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. I agree totally with the decision yesterday to delay or postpone the financial agreement of this Assembly to that Bill. In asking the question today, I’m in no way blaming you for some of the problems we’ve had around the costings for legislation; I’m purely asking you because, with your role as Cabinet Secretary for finance, you do have an overall view of...
