Llyr Gruffydd: Well, if you don't understand it, maybe you'll ask the people who know best, and those are the people who actually farm that land day in, day out. I'm sure they'll tell you exactly what you need to know. Now, of course, you're proposing, or we think that you're still proposing, blanket coverage across Wales for these regulations. And you'll remember, I'm sure, the 'Working Smarter' review,...
Llyr Gruffydd: On another matter, I was wondering whether you could give us an update with regards to Tomlinson's Dairies, which closed, of course. And could you confirm to us which Government Minister is now leading on this piece of work, because I understand, given the fact that he represents the local constituency, that the Minister for economy isn't in a position to do that? So, some clarity around...
Llyr Gruffydd: I contribute to this debate in my role as my party's spokesperson on the environment. And, as some people have already suggested, there is a feeling of business as usual to this budget. And that is disappointing, particularly given the declaration of a climate emergency. As you've already heard, we would expect transformation in the way that the Government is using its budget to address that...
Llyr Gruffydd: And I'll just close, if I may—like others, I was disappointed at some of the opening remarks from Conservative contributions to this debate. You're more than happy to rock up here today and take the plaudits for any increases in budgets; of course, we couldn't see you for dust when it was about taking the blame for cuts. You have the audacity to tell us here, in this Chamber, that we've...
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, I've finished.
Llyr Gruffydd: There is no doubt in my mind that banning wild animals from travelling circuses is the right thing to do. It was certainly part of the Plaid Cymru manifesto in the last election. The exploitation of wild animals for that end is unacceptable. Of course, we know that the attitudes of society have changed. A number of pieces of research and opinion polls show that. We know that 45 nations across...
Llyr Gruffydd: 6. Will the Minister make a statement on the impact that the Welsh Government's budget for 2020-21 will have on North Wales? OAQ54887
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for that response. You’ll be aware, I’m sure, that I have a number of hydro energy schemes in my constituency, and I’ve raised this with you on a number of occasions in the past. There is grave concern in the sector, of course, about the situation of business rates—non-domestic business rates—and the impact that that will have on the sector. There have been calls and...
Llyr Gruffydd: 5. Will the Minister make a statement on levels of expenditure on promoting the Welsh language in the draft budget? OAQ54886
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for that list. The finance Minister, during the debate on the draft budget yesterday, stated that the budget for the Welsh language wasn't going to be cut. So, just for the sake of clarity, can you confirm for us that there will be an inflationary increase in that budget? Otherwise, it is a real-terms cut, so I just wanted confirmation that there is going to be an increase in line...
Llyr Gruffydd: 6. Will the First Minister make a statement on Welsh Government Investment in the food processing industry? OAQ54934
Llyr Gruffydd: We're all highly aware of the impact that losing the Tomlinson's plant has had, not only on the 330 workers working there but also on dozens of farmers, who have faced huge losses in terms of providing milk without having been paid for it. And we understand now from PricewaterhouseCoopers that only 3p in the £1 will be provided to those milk providers in payments—indeed, if there is...
Llyr Gruffydd: 8. Will the Minister provide an update on the Siarter Iaith framework? OAQ54928
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, thank you for that. Obviously, the initial guidance—
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you. The initial guidance provided to schools back in April stated that there would be further practical guidance available by September. Well, we're five months later and, as far as I can see, we still haven't seen those. Now, I accept what you said about ministerial responsibility around this, but the point I want to make is that the Siarter Iaith should be far more prominent and...
Llyr Gruffydd: It's interesting that the company cite the fact that there's been a change in demand for the niche products. Now, that does beg a broader question, of course—in what ways the Welsh Government might be helping companies to futureproof their business, given, of course, that there are societal changes and demands, and consumer trends, if you like, particularly in an environmental context. I'm...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm very pleased to be speaking in this debate today on the Finance Committee’s inquiry into the Welsh Government’s capital funding sources. As Chair of the committee, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who contributed to this inquiry and to the Minister for Finance and Trefnydd also for her response to our report. The...
Llyr Gruffydd: The nature of the Welsh Government’s capital budget has changed in recent years as the UK Government has placed greater restrictions on the use of capital through the introduction of financial transactions capital. In 2019-20, 14.2 per cent of the Welsh Government’s capital budget was in the form of financial transactions capital. It is only for loan and equity investments in the private...
Llyr Gruffydd: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Can I thank everyone for their contributions to this debate? I think Mike probably captured a sentiment that's run like a silver lining through this inquiry, in that the private sector won't give us anything for nothing. But we are going into that with our eyes open, aren't we? And we are aware of that much. I think this tension between PFI and MIM is—I'm not too...
Llyr Gruffydd: It is indeed, and we're all aware that borrowing has a cost to it, and that's exactly what we need to be mindful of. But of course, if it's good enough for local government then I can't see why it isn't good enough for Welsh Government, as long as it's done in the proper way. Alun Davies reminded us, or questioned the way that Welsh Government has been managing its assets, and I remember, I...
