Nick Ramsay: Thank you for that answer, Minister. I think Llyr Gruffydd has pretty much maxed out all the subjects to question you on in farming in the last couple of questions. He's even written to me as Chair of the Public Accounts Committee. But with regard to the 'Sustainable Farming and our Land' consultation that Llyr mentioned, that's obviously well under way—been under way for some time. I've...
Nick Ramsay: Minister, last week, a planning application for 111 new houses in my constituency, which had previously been approved by the local authority before being called in by the Welsh Government, was subsequently rejected by the inspectorate on the grounds of it contravening the well-being of future generations legislation, which Hefin David has just mentioned. It was rejected on the basis that the...
Nick Ramsay: Well, it's an interesting question by Dave Rowlands. I could hear supporters of Welsh independence clamouring that they don't care about the financial impact of independence: they just want their country back. Well, where have we heard that—[Interruption.] Where have we heard that before? [Interruption.] First Minister, your own statistics—[Interruption.]
Nick Ramsay: Fake news?
Nick Ramsay: I'm surprised they weren't more worked up listening to the original question, but there we are. First Minister, isn't the reality of the situation—? You gave some very good statistics there, but isn't the reality of the situation that, day-by-day, Wales is steadily growing increasingly financially autonomous as a part of the United Kingdom, and, when it comes to tax devolution and borrowing...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, Llywydd. Good afternoon, Minister.
Nick Ramsay: How can we expect to see the extra funding for the Welsh Government, resulting from the recent UK Government spending review, deliver benefits for Wales in the coming Welsh Government budget?
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, Minister, I appreciate it’s early days and I’m looking forward to scrutinising you on the Finance Committee, with my colleagues as well, on the subject of the budget. You just said that you’re lacking money or you haven’t received money from the UK Government, but, as I’m sure you would recognise, the Welsh Government’s resource budget will increase by over £485...
Nick Ramsay: Well, I see what you mean when you say that the Barnett giveth and taketh—that’s a good expression in many ways. I got the document yesterday—'Reforming our union', which featured in the First Minister’s statement—and there’s an interesting section on finance here where the First Minister or the Welsh Government recognises that the Holtham floor—the fiscal framework that came...
Nick Ramsay: 6. Will the Minister provide an update on the collection of devolved taxes? OAQ54524
Nick Ramsay: I look forward to the publication of that data, Minister. We are now six months into the devolution of the Welsh rate of income tax—the creation of that Welsh rate— and we are, as you said, significantly longer than that into the devolution of stamp duty, now land transaction tax, and land disposal tax. So, have you made any preliminary assessment of the collection rates of those taxes,...
Nick Ramsay: 6. Will the Minister make a statement on the promotion of the Welsh language in Monmouthshire? OAQ54522
Nick Ramsay: Very much following a similar vein to John Griffiths's question, Minister, one of the challenges, I'm sure you'll agree, in delivering Welsh-medium education, particularly in the larger rural authorities, is the travel time from home to school. I'm pleased that Monmouthshire County Council is progressing with plans for a new second Welsh-medium education school in the north-east or north of...
Nick Ramsay: Caroline, will you take an intervention?
Nick Ramsay: Like you and other AMs, I've received many representations on exactly what you just said—that there's an inconsistency across Wales in terms of the applications for the blue badge scheme. So, I thought that the recommendation for putting it on a statutory basis was a very good idea, so I'd also be interested in what response you get to that query.
Nick Ramsay: Trefnydd, I recently hosted a charity quiz night—one of my other hats—to raise funds for research into ovarian cancer in Wales. This came about after a constituent case, a constituent whose wife died on the very day she was supposed to start treatment for cancer. She was already at stage 4, due to repeated misdiagnosis earlier on in the stages of cancer, over many months. I had a meeting...
Nick Ramsay: Diolch, Presiding Officer, and—
Nick Ramsay: thank you for your statement, Minister.
Nick Ramsay: I'm still trying to think about your staycation in Wales comment earlier, given that you gave a competition. The best I could come up with was 'Cymrucation', but that's a weird amalgamation, isn't it, of two languages, and probably doesn't work? Anyway, can I just ask you about your statement and two issues in my area that you're well versed with because I've raised them many times:...
Nick Ramsay: Minister, I think the fact we are able to discuss this previously taboo subject in the open and transparent way we do shows how far we've come as a country, and I think that's to be welcomed. We, of course, in this Chamber have our own direct experience of losing our much loved colleague, Carl Sargeant, in this tragic way, so I think there's an onus on all of us to do what we can to try and...
