Mark Drakeford: The Minister met with the water company concerned yesterday. There is no specific proposal on the table at the moment. Were such a proposal to come forward, then it will have to satisfy the environment Act requirement here in Wales. Decisions will need to be submitted to Welsh Ministers for their involvement and, of course, in doing so, we will make sure that the interests of Welsh residents...
Mark Drakeford: We work with the UK Government on a range of port-related issues, including floating offshore wind, the free-ports programme and border control posts. In the coming weeks we will pay particular attention to the impact of the Windsor framework on the competitiveness of Welsh ports.
Mark Drakeford: I thank Joyce Watson for that, Llywydd. I, too, welcome any progress made on resolving the outstanding issues on the Northern Ireland protocol. During the time that there has been no Executive in Northern Ireland, I have kept in contact with all the main party leaders. During the autumn, I met with Michelle O'Neill as leader of Sinn Féin, I spoke with Jeffrey Donaldson as the leader of the...
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, the preferred outcome of the Welsh Government is that we sustain the highest level of service between Welsh ports, both Fishguard and Pembroke Dock, and that is what we have been focused on in the difficult days of the last few years. It is uncertainty that drives companies to have the sort of discussions that Sam Kurtz mentions. Hopefully, a Northern Ireland protocol deal will...
Mark Drakeford: I thank Rhun ap Iorwerth for that question. I do agree that one of the things that we are going to keep a watching brief on over the weeks to come is to see whether, in the new agreement, there is a greater emphasis on companies going directly from the UK to Northern Ireland. The details are important and we don't have them yet, but we are going to be determined to pursue that point....
Mark Drakeford: I thank Jane Dodds for that supplementary question.
Mark Drakeford: Of course, she's absolutely right that it is central to the future not simply of the ports themselves but of the Welsh economy that we have that investment in floating offshore wind. A huge amount of effort is going into creating that future. I'm very pleased to be able to say that the consents that are needed for the Erebus project, the first genuine commercial demonstration of floating...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, we continue to work with the local authorities across the northern south Wales Valleys and the Cardiff capital region to increase the economic prosperity of the region.
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, I thank Alun Davies for that. I've heard him on a series of occasions on the floor of the Senedd make the case that the new Heads of the Valleys road must be more than a bypass, as I've heard him say; it needs to be something that generates prosperity across its length. He's right to say that I've been lucky enough to be able to take an interest in the development throughout...
Mark Drakeford: I think there are two or three points to make. First of all, the investment in the college in Blaenau Gwent would not have been possible had it not already been for the investment that the Welsh Government had put into that development and, indeed, the European Union investment that has gone into it. The UK Government are the third and final partner to make a contribution, and their...
Mark Drakeford: I thank the Member for that question, Llywydd. Democratically elected local authorities are primarily responsible for ensuring the quality of school education in their localities. The Welsh Government supports those efforts through, for example, the implementation of the new Curriculum for Wales.
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, first of all, just to remind colleagues that Wales was the only part of the United Kingdom to see an improvement in all three PISA dimensions when those figures were last published. I know that Conservative Members think it's their job to run Wales down, but, actually, the PISA results were at the opposite end of that spectrum. If I was the Member, I wouldn't have necessarily...
Mark Drakeford: I thank the Member for that question, Llywydd. That assessment is set out in 'Llwybr Newydd', the Welsh transport strategy. It confirms the importance of road connectivity for sustainable social and economic purposes, assessed against the varying needs of different parts of Wales.
Mark Drakeford: I thank Russell George for that, Llywydd, and I know that he’s been a consistent advocate of the Caersws scheme. I saw that he had raised it with the Minister on the floor of the Senedd back on 15 February, and he’s right to say that the scheme is to go ahead, following the roads review, for some of the reasons, including the safety reasons, that the Member has set out this afternoon....
Mark Drakeford: I thank the Member for the question. There are three rivers that are special areas of conservation within the Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency. The Glaslyn and Gwyrfai are meeting the phosphate standard, whilst the River Dee is failing. I will chair a second phosphate summit tomorrow, in order to accelerate the actions necessary to improve the water quality in our rivers that are special areas...
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, the Minister responsible for these matters is aware of the points raised by the Member, because she had an opportunity to visit the railway back in the summer. The substantive point is this: we can't press ahead and agree to developments where phosphate hasn't been taken into account in the plan in a way that doesn't increase the problems that we already have. The impact of...
Mark Drakeford: I thank Heledd Fychan. Llywydd, we are working with our partners, including local authorities, the third sector and those with lived experience to support vulnerable households. Direct help with the cost of the school day, universal free school meals in primary schools and measures to tackle holiday hunger are amongst the practical steps being taken across Wales.
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, of course I acknowledge the difficult context that Heledd Fychan has set out and, unfortunately, that will only get worse over the next month. At the beginning of April, the cost of energy will increase and there will be freezes in the area of income tax, which will have an impact on household income across Wales, and many people will face increased mortgage costs too. So, the...
Mark Drakeford: The Welsh Government is determined that citizens from other countries who have chosen to live, study, visit, or work in Wales feel welcomed and valued members of our communities. If students are in poor condition private accommodation, they should report any repairs or maintenance issues to their landlord in the first instance.
Mark Drakeford: The UK Government has created trade barriers for Welsh businesses which are making imports and exports more burdensome and contributing to price pressures being felt by consumers. The loss of EU funding is now resulting in job losses and the closure of vital skills and business support programmes across Wales.
