Delyth Jewell: 6. Will the Counsel General make a statement on whether the Welsh Government has undertaken an analysis of the possible effects of Brexit on supply chains in Wales? OAQ53805
Delyth Jewell: I thank the Minister for his answer. Since the 2016 referendum, the automotive sector in the UK has announced a number of closures. The debate about to what extent Brexit is to blame rages on, but, in the meantime, people have genuine concerns about their jobs. The closure of the Honda plant in Swindon worries me greatly, since one of its component suppliers is the Kasai plant in Merthyr...
Delyth Jewell: Will the First Minister provide an update on Welsh Government involvement in the process of resolving the dispute relating to the suspension of senior executives at Caerphilly Council?
Delyth Jewell: 8. Will the Minister provide an update on the allocation of funding in the budget for the proposed M4 black route? OAQ53922
Delyth Jewell: Thank you for that answer, Minister. If, as expected, the First Minister decides not to move ahead with the black route following your Government's declaration of a climate emergency, can you confirm that the money currently earmarked for the project—and I'm referring specifically to the money available through borrowing powers—will be available for use for alternative infrastructure...
Delyth Jewell: Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, there is a general consensus that Wales isn't doing enough to engage with its diaspora. There are likely tens of millions of people with Welsh ancestry living across the world, including over 10 million people in the US alone, according to a 2006 study. Better engaging our diaspora has the potential to increase Wales's profile, provide expertise, bring investment...
Delyth Jewell: Thank you for your answer, Minister. Engaging the Welsh diaspora is also crucial in order to boost Wales's profile on the international stage, as you've alluded to. There is a meme currently doing the rounds online where a couple of Americans—I'm not going to try and do their accent, but they ask their friend whether he comes from England or Wales, and when he replies, 'Neither; I'm Welsh',...
Delyth Jewell: I'd like to turn now to trade links, which are, of course, crucial in order to secure Wales's economic health, especially in terms of exports. I noted with interest your recent trip to the United States, where you made the case for inward investment by selling Wales as an attractive place to do business. That was a welcome move. But I wonder whether your strategy of building trade links is...
Delyth Jewell: I’m pleased to welcome the fact that the Welsh Government has changed its policy. It’s not a reaffirmation, as the First Minister said, it is a change of policy on the need for a referendum in order to put the final say on our relationship with the European Union in the hands of the people. I’m not sure how many times we’ve discussed this issue in this Chamber with the Government...
Delyth Jewell: 'We have a shared view on how state aid should work.'
Delyth Jewell: —so, a shared view with the Westminster Government. Plaid Cymru agrees that state aid is a devolved issue, as it isn’t listed in the Wales Act as a reserved power, but can you explain how your Government, under a socialist leader, can share a vision with the Tory Government in Westminster on how state aid should work? Why don’t you believe that the Welsh Government should have the...
Delyth Jewell: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Today's debate promises to be a lively one. It's an issue on which nearly everyone has a strong feeling that they are right, and the stakes could not be higher. The motion before us calls on this place to declare its unequivocal support for a confirmatory referendum. Yes, we have called for unambiguous, uncouched in potential circumstance, clarity, because, goodness...
Delyth Jewell: Will you take an intervention?
Delyth Jewell: I'm actually from the region that I represent and I also worked for Citizens Advice when the referendum was held, so I can understand quite a lot why people did actually vote to take back control.
Delyth Jewell: Just to clarify on that, I said that I think that almost everyone on this issue believes that they are right, because it's something that they hold so strongly. I'm not necessarily making a comment about that.
Delyth Jewell: I'd like to start with a simple message: migrants have always been welcome in Wales and this will continue to be the case in the future. You are welcome, you are valued, and Plaid Cymru will always work to protect your rights. Every week, we discuss in this Chamber risks that Brexit poses to our economy and public services, and here we are again discussing huge changes proposed by the...
Delyth Jewell: Too often in debates like this that focus on finances, we can get bogged down in the detail of percentages and far-off numbers that seem so remote that it's hard to track their relationship to people's lives. Actually, the proposals we're talking about, that is, how funds will be allocated post Brexit to help our communities, will have an indelible impact on people's lives. And, as is too...
Delyth Jewell: Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, Donald Trump has said that he'd want the NHS to be on the table in any future UK-US trade deal negotiations. He later rowed back on this, but the fact that his ambassador to the UK, Woody Johnson, has also said the same thing indicates clearly what US priorities will be if and when trade negotiations begin. The Welsh Government's international relations Minister...
Delyth Jewell: Thank you for your answer, Minister. You speak about mechanisms and discussions without much detail there, but I think that's probably because the fact of the matter is there will be very little Welsh Government could do to protect the NHS if the Westminster Government decided to sell it off. Plaid Cymru would obviously support you if, as the international relations Minister said on Monday,...
Delyth Jewell: Thank you, Minister, and thank you for turning the scrutiny back on me there, but, as we have made clear in debates in the past in this Chamber, public procurement powers were given away as part of the inter-governmental agreement, and I'd welcome further discussion with you on that. But, coming back to the question, now we know, and as you've just recognised, there's very little that we...
