Gareth Bennett: Yes, certainly. All in all, there could be a more promising future for the Welsh rural economy, if only we see the coming years as a period that could bring with it some upheaval, certainly, but also a large element of opportunity. Thank you.
Gareth Bennett: What discussions has the Welsh Government had with the UK Government concerning migration after Brexit?
Gareth Bennett: Diolch, Llywydd. It’s on agricultural payments, actually.
Gareth Bennett: 5. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the Welsh Government’s plans for common agricultural policy payments post-Brexit? (OAQ51036)
Gareth Bennett: Yes, thank you for that answer. Clearly, I understand that there is some uncertainty regarding the future, but you sound reasonably convinced that some speedy and effective form of payments can be made if the responsibility does eventually devolve to here. Would you agree with that?
Gareth Bennett: Diolch, Llywydd. Good afternoon, Minister, and welcome back to the Chamber. Yesterday, one of your backbench Members, Hefin David, raised the issue of the remediation of brownfield sites. Now, I realise that brownfield sites can be problematic to develop, but there are some brownfield sites that can be prepared for housing relatively cheaply. So, I wondered what involvement your department...
Gareth Bennett: You’ve mentioned this before. When I did Minister’s questions with you for the first time in April, you mentioned your ongoing discussions with Ken Skates’s department and the possible use of Welsh Government land for brownfield housing development, and you suggested at that time that there were—at least, I took the suggestion to be that there were—many redundant NHS buildings that...
Gareth Bennett: Thanks. Oddly, my next question was on your £20 million innovation scheme, which you’ve now mentioned yourself. Obviously, your announcement is coming shortly. Is there anything you can give us here today regarding that scheme?
Gareth Bennett: Thanks to the Conservatives for bringing today’s debate forward on an important subject. We’ve heard a lot already about the flaws in the Welsh Government’s consultation process, so I won’t dwell on that, but rather on the changes that they propose in their White Paper. Now, ‘Services fit for the future’, the White Paper, recognises the need for what it calls a strong citizen...
Gareth Bennett: 2. Will the First Minister make a statement on Cardiff's bid to hold matches for the 2020 UEFA European Football Championships? (OAQ51086)
Gareth Bennett: Yes, thanks for the response. It’s usually potentially a good idea to make a bid for these large events due to the potential to generate revenue for local businesses, although there is also the possibility of disruption as well. So, there is a balance that we have to make. But we do have a problem at the moment with the state of Cardiff Central Square and also the possible lack of capacity...
Gareth Bennett: Thanks to the Minister for bringing forward today’s debate. Now, the Government’s motion today looks perfectly benevolent in that nobody is really going to start arguing that we need less openness in the provision of Government data. What we do need to know, though, is what this greater openness will actually mean in practice. The future intentions of the Welsh Government in providing...
Gareth Bennett: What assessment has the Cabinet Secretary made of the outsourcing of local services by Welsh councils to the private sector?
Gareth Bennett: Thanks to the Minister for her statement. There have obviously been some issues over the running of Sport Wales, which Russell George alluded to earlier, and we, as Members, don’t have the inside information to understand all of what it was about. But it seems to me that part of the problem with the organisation in the past year or so has quite probably been about its remit. Now, we did...
Gareth Bennett: 7. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the risk of injury to children and young people through playing contact sports such as rugby? (OAQ51113)
Gareth Bennett: Thanks for the answer, and that’s quite an encouraging response. The question was posed in relation to a recent piece that appeared in the ‘British Medical Journal’, which was quite well publicised, so I’m sure you’re aware of it. Of course, we do have to be mindful of the risks posed, but we’re also trying to encourage young people to get involved in physical activity. So, I’m...
Gareth Bennett: Thanks to the additional legislation committee for bringing today’s debate. It is on an important issue. There are economic complications that will inevitably arise from Brexit, and I don’t seek to minimise them. I don’t want to see these problems exaggerated for political effect because my view is that the people of the UK have had their say, and they want Brexit; that is what they...
Gareth Bennett: Thank you.
Gareth Bennett: No, I’m just starting, Rhun, and I’m not going to get through it with all this nonsense. So, we shouldn’t exaggerate difficulties for political effect, but we certainly shouldn’t minimise them either. What we have to do is rationally consider all of the economic implications. In the case of the position of trade passing through Welsh ports, if there are any ways in which we can...
Gareth Bennett: Okay. There may be differences in the trading relationship between the USA and Canada and ours with Ireland, but the reality is we don’t know what our future relationship with Ireland is going to be because of this issue of the common travel area that we enjoyed with Ireland before either of us even joined the EU. That may be in place once we leave the EU, so we don’t know.
