Darren Millar: Leader of the house, the misuse of cannabis, of course, can be very dangerous indeed. It can act as a gateway to much harder substances, which can result in ruining people's lives. Will you therefore join me in condemning the actions of the north Wales police and crime commissioner, Arfon Jones, for his irresponsible behaviour in visiting cannabis clubs, which are promoting illegal activity,...
Darren Millar: Diolch, Llywydd. While we in this Chamber debate policies and law making, it's our Welsh local authorities, our councils across the country, rather than the Welsh Government, that are actually at the coalface delivering many of the public services that our constituents rely on each and every day. Many of these public-facing services have a key role in reducing inequality, protecting the...
Darren Millar: Now, part of the problem, of course, is that successive Welsh Government Ministers have failed to see their relationship with local government as a partnership. Instead, they've taken a very belligerent approach, particularly with reference to reorganisation. Indeed, some people have suggested across Wales that the withholding of funding for local councils is a deliberate attempt by the Welsh...
Darren Millar: That's an easy way of an accountant to be able to ring-fence cash and take it out of what they consider to be appropriate and to protect and justify what I believe are unreasonable levels of expenditure. Let me quote some other figures to you as well. Labour in Labour-led local authorities are sitting on 57 per cent of the £1.4 billion that is held in reserves across Wales. Ten local...
Darren Millar: Will the First Minister make a statement on transport infrastructure in north Wales?
Darren Millar: 8. Will the First Minister make a statement on the performance of the Welsh NHS during his time in office? OAQ53031
Darren Millar: Leader of the house, many people will disagree with the statement that this particular Government has given sufficient priority to the national health service. Under the leadership of this particular First Minister, the number of individuals that are waiting longer than 36 weeks to receive treatment has increased from zero back in 2009 to 13,500. In that period, the four-hour target for...
Darren Millar: Leader of the house, can I ask for a statement from the Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs on woodland and forestry management in Wales? As I understand it, felling licences can be issued in Wales but cannot be refused on wildlife protection grounds. I understand that that is also the situation in England. In Scotland, they've recently changed the law...
Darren Millar: Diolch, Llywydd, and can I move the amendment, which is tabled in my name? The Cabinet Secretary started his speech with a reference to the context around this budget and the context in which he has had to set it. He referred a great deal to austerity and the challenges that the UK Government has had to face, and, as a result, the Welsh Government has had to face as a result of the pressure...
Darren Millar: I agree that this is the largest budget ever received by a Welsh Government.
Darren Millar: That is the situation. Now, from April, as we've already heard, the Welsh Government will have new tax levers—more tax levers than ever before in order to generate some wealth for the Welsh economy, but instead of seizing the opportunity that those tax levers represent, to give our economy a shot in the arm, the Welsh Government has succumbed to the traditional Labour temptation of tax and...
Darren Millar: We are happy to champion the needs of our national health service and to campaign for more cash. You might like to defend cutting the national health service budget. I don't. Now, I was pleased to hear your references to the need to take a look at the way that we invest in preventative spend, because we do know that it's not just about funding for the national health service, it's also...
Darren Millar: Frankly, as has been the case in previous years, the detail of the budget is so opaque and difficult to unpick and drill down into that it's very difficult to know what other horrors lie beneath the surface. So, in conclusion, this budget represents a missed opportunity for Wales. We have record levels of funding, rising budgets coming to the Welsh Labour Government, and they could have taken...
Darren Millar: Will you take an intervention?
Darren Millar: Do you accept that it is the largest budget in cash terms that your Government has ever had to spend ever in the history of devolution?
Darren Millar: Cabinet Secretary, what provision have you made in your budget for next year in respect of the north Wales growth deal?
Darren Millar: You're very slow off the starting blocks in respect of this deal, aren't you, Cabinet Secretary? Because, as you will know, this bid was put together and submitted by the north Wales economic ambition board on 23 October. The UK Government managed to consider it and put its hand in its pocket and place £120 million on the table within a matter of just a few weeks. Why have you spent so long...
Darren Millar: I noted your criticism of the £120 million, but it's £120 million more than you've managed to put your hands in your pocket for so far. You're quite right to say that there is cross-party agreement on this matter. I noted that, in advance of the UK Government's budget, there were Members of Parliament on a cross-party basis, including Labour Members of Parliament, who were writing to the UK...
Darren Millar: 8. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the future of tax levels in Wales between now and the next Assembly election? OAQ53030
Darren Millar: I'm very grateful for that response. I've listened carefully to you respond to similar questions as well during the course of this question time, and what you hadn't indicated is what your plans or the plans of your party might be beyond the next financial year. I'd be grateful if you could assure us of your personal commitment not to increase income tax rates before the next Assembly...
