Results 2761–2780 of 3000 for speaker:Rebecca Evans

7. The Non-Domestic Rating (Alteration of Lists and Appeals) (Wales) Regulations 2023 (21 Mar 2023)

Rebecca Evans: Thank you very much to Llyr Gruffydd for those questions this afternoon. We have considered and consulted on the appeals reform over several years. In relation to access to digital connectivity, that wasn't raised as a particular barrier to our new proposals in terms of access to the VOA's digital platform. Bearing in mind that this is the system for non-domestic rates, most businesses will...

1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Women County Councillors (22 Mar 2023)

Rebecca Evans: I welcome the actions being taken across Wales to encourage individuals to put themselves forward for elected office. Diversity delivers better, more inclusive decision making. In advance of the 2027 local elections, work to encourage diversity includes the programme for government commitment to extend the access to elected office fund.

1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Women County Councillors (22 Mar 2023)

Rebecca Evans: A range of work is ongoing at the moment in order to try and ensure that we have a more diverse group of people putting themselves forward for election, for both town and community councils, and county and country borough councils, in future. And those include the reviewing of the access to elected office fund, which was very successful in supporting a number of candidates to become town and...

1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Women County Councillors (22 Mar 2023)

Rebecca Evans: I'd like to begin, really, by joining Mark Isherwood in recognising the importance of mentoring schemes. I've been a mentor myself in one of the schemes, and I found that probably as valuable to me as to the mentee, so I would absolutely encourage all colleagues to look at opportunities to support those kinds of schemes. One of the things that we have been doing is trying to widen our...

1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Crematoriums (22 Mar 2023)

Rebecca Evans: Local authorities are burial authorities and responsible for their own cemeteries and crematoriums. It is for local planning authorities to identify suitable sites for new crematoriums. Proposals for new crematoriums would be subject to planning and environmental law.

1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Crematoriums (22 Mar 2023)

Rebecca Evans: Thank you to Russell George for raising this issue this afternoon. I am aware of the particular application to which he refers, which was called in and then subsequently refused. The reasons for that are set out in the decision letter, and, because it is open to the applicant to challenge the decision in the High Court, I won't say any more about that application today. But I understand the...

1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople (22 Mar 2023)

Rebecca Evans: The Welsh Government has tried to set out a position where we recognise the pressures on businesses, but also believe that the owners of properties should be making a reasonable contribution to the communities in which those properties are situated. We have recognised that some self-catering properties are restricted by planning conditions, preventing permanent occupation as somebody's main...

1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople (22 Mar 2023)

Rebecca Evans: We have looked at the case made by you and by others in respect of where a property is run by a charity, and I think that the circumstances will depend on the particular situation relating to that property. Some will already be covered by an existing exemption or by the new exemption, and, in cases where that's not so, authorities do have discretionary powers that they can use. The nature of...

1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople (22 Mar 2023)

Rebecca Evans: The Welsh Government does work very, very closely with the tourism sector, and we do listen very carefully to the representations that they make on behalf of their members. I think that Sam Rowlands will recognise that we are trying to strike a balance here between supporting the tourism industry and allowing that to thrive and supporting that to thrive, but at the same time recognising that...

1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople (22 Mar 2023)

Rebecca Evans: I would say that the Barnett formula and the fiscal framework that was agreed by the First Minister when he was in this role with the UK Government actually does provide some advantages to Wales in terms of the fact that the Barnett formula does recognise relative need. I think that's important and that's certainly something that we wouldn't want to move away from. I think that, where there...

1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople (22 Mar 2023)

Rebecca Evans: I'm really keen to impress upon UK Labour the same argument that we've been making to HM Treasury in terms of the fiscal flexibilities that Wales needs. Our borrowing powers are not fit for purpose, really, in the sense that we have such a limited annual ability to borrow. I think that that obviously needs to be addressed. The year-end issues really need to be addressed in the sense that our...

1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Local Government Staff (22 Mar 2023)

Rebecca Evans: Local authorities deliver their essential services through their talented staff. While each local authority is responsible for its own recruitment, the Welsh Government continues to provide support through Academi Wales leadership programmes including the all-Wales public service graduate programme, personal learning accounts and our wider apprenticeship programme.

1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Local Government Staff (22 Mar 2023)

Rebecca Evans: Thank you very much for raising this important issue this afternoon. I absolutely join you in recognising the vital role that our local government staff play in terms of serving their communities. I'm very sorry I'm not able to meet the Bridgend graduates in person myself this afternoon, but it's wonderful to see them at the Senedd. I think that there are some really important things that...

1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Local Government Staff (22 Mar 2023)

Rebecca Evans: I think it's really important that local authorities—and the public sector more widely—takes opportunities to look to attract a much wider and more diverse range of people to work in their sectors. They can do that by, for example, ensuring that the advertisements for roles are appropriately placed in places where people with more diverse characteristics are likely to see them, and also...

1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Fossil Fuel Investments (22 Mar 2023)

Rebecca Evans: We are working closely with colleagues. The Wales pension partnership discussed decarbonising local government pensions at the Partnership Council for Wales in November. Following your meeting with the First Minister in January, the WLGA has agreed to run an event in May with leaders and pension providers to discuss the next steps.  

1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Fossil Fuel Investments (22 Mar 2023)

Rebecca Evans: I absolutely agree that working together to respond to the climate and nature crisis is the only way that we are really, really going to be able to make the improvements that have to be made. The whole pension system really needs to be responding to this agenda. It is true, of course, that local government pension authorities can be learning from each other and from across the public sector...

1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Fossil Fuel Investments (22 Mar 2023)

Rebecca Evans: These would be matters, really, for the members of the pension board and the pension fund to be considering in terms of the investments that the fund makes. But that said, I think that green pension investments can be very good investments in terms of the way in which the current energy market is moving towards a greener and more sustainable way of delivering energy for the future. I know all...

1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government: The Private Finance Initiative (22 Mar 2023)

Rebecca Evans: There are now 20 remaining historic private finance initiative contracts in Wales. In 2019, the First Minister instigated a review of PFI contracts, encouraging contracting authorities to renegotiate or terminate PFI contracts where there was a value-for-money case for doing so. This work is ongoing.

1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government: The Private Finance Initiative (22 Mar 2023)

Rebecca Evans: Well, authorities are continuing to review their contracts to determine value for money, and contracting authorities that are undertaking reviews to renegotiate or to terminate a contract don't need Welsh Government approval to renegotiate or terminate that contract. Welsh Government does, however, review the business case, as we provide some revenue support cost for PFI initiatives. This...

1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government: The Private Finance Initiative (22 Mar 2023)

Rebecca Evans: Well, I will say that successive Welsh Governments have consistently avoided the pitfalls of PFI contracts, and as a result of our approach, liabilities relating to this type of scheme in Wales are much lower than in other parts of the UK. For example, the average cost per head of PFI schemes in Wales is around £40, and that's approximately a fifth of the cost per head across the UK as a...


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