Mark Drakeford: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd, and thank you to all those who’ve taken part in the very wide-ranging discussion of the budget. I’ll do my best to reply to as many of the points that have been raised as possible, and do so rapidly. What seems like a long time ago now, Nick Ramsay began the discussion. I thank him for the welcome he provided to the new budget process. I acknowledged in my...
Mark Drakeford: Yes, of course.
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, I don’t say that those points are not points that need to be considered, but all I have said today is that we intend to consider things, and we will consider the positive case that has been made and we will take into account those arguments that tell us why we might need to proceed carefully. I just wanted to be clear about the status of what I had announced this afternoon. Adam...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, we are incredibly lucky in our time to have benefited from the investment decisions that people who went before us were willing to make. Had they listened to Neil Hamilton, they would simply have stopped doing all the things that we now rely on. It is possible, in a way that I think the Member never seems to understand or recognise, to borrow to invest, because investment creates the...
Mark Drakeford: Dirprwy Lywydd, Rhun ap Iorwerth highlighted a number of important aspects in the deal that we have been able to strike between Labour and Plaid Cymru. I have to disagree with him on only one point, but it’s an important point, and it’s the only point, I think, in this debate where I feel I must make sure that the record is properly understood. Rhun said that it was inevitable that...
Mark Drakeford: I spend my time having to tell people who provide services on which our fellow citizens rely that they have to prepare for the tougher times and harder choices that lie ahead. I’ve said it countless times in this Chamber, so I understand that people out there understand the conditions in which this budget is being created and would have been anxious about what that might mean for them....
Mark Drakeford: The Welsh Government will continue to work with Hywel Dda Local Health Board to provide the people of Pembrokeshire with health services that deliver the best possible outcomes for patients. We will be guided by the best and most up-to-date clinical evidence and advice to deliver high-quality care that the people of Pembrokeshire deserve.
Mark Drakeford: ‘Prosperity for All’ sets out our commitment to strong and safe communities that protect and support the vulnerable. In partnership with our communities, we will tackle inequality, homelessness, substance misuse and any form of abuse or neglect that impacts on our most vulnerable people.
Mark Drakeford: We encourage and support Welsh companies to export their goods and services. Our international offices and trade advisers work closely with companies to help them to win new export business.
Mark Drakeford: The Welsh Government is strongly committed to tackling all forms of discrimination and to promoting equality and human rights for people of all ages. This is reflected in the provisions of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, the strategy for older people and our children’s rights scheme.
Mark Drakeford: No-one should have to sleep rough. We are working with agencies across Wales to understand and reverse the recent increase, which we believe is substantially caused by the UK Government’s austerity policies. We have just announced an additional £2.6 million to support services for rough sleepers and young people.
Mark Drakeford: We are working with Highways England to develop a coherent cross-border approach to planning for the removal of tolls, in terms of maximising both the benefits to travellers on both sides of the border in the short term and to the economy in the longer term.
Mark Drakeford: The Welsh Government is fully committed to supporting LGBT people in Wales. We provide equality grant funding to Stonewall Cymru to support a range of projects that improve the well-being of LGBT people in Wales and increase our understanding of the issues that affect these communities.
Mark Drakeford: Thank you very much. May I just say a word of thanks to Simon Thomas and the other members of the Finance Committee for the work that they have already done in preparing this Bill, and to present the Bill today? The Welsh Government appreciates the role of the public services ombudsman. It provides an important service in being a means to assist citizens who haven’t received the level of...
Mark Drakeford: We are continuing to work with Arriva Trains Wales to deliver additional capacity on the Valley Lines. We will introduce our own new rail services contract next year which will deliver an increase in the availability of high quality rolling stock and improvements in services for passengers.
Mark Drakeford: The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government will be announcing the provisional local government settlement for 2018-19 later today. This will include details of the core Welsh Government funding for Monmouthshire County Council.
Mark Drakeford: Wales is seen as a desirable and successful place to do business by companies headquartered overseas and in other regions of the UK. For the last three consecutive years, investment into Wales has been at the highest levels ever recorded, creating and safeguarding tens of thousands of Welsh jobs.
Mark Drakeford: We consult in accordance with legal requirements and the various commitments that we have made, in ways designed to inform Welsh Ministers' decisions.
Mark Drakeford: I am deeply concerned by the impact of universal credit full service on people in Wales. The Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children wrote last week to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions calling for a pause of the universal credit full service roll-out in Wales.
Mark Drakeford: I expect the Betsi Cadwaladr university health board to plan and provide services that meet the needs of their people. This includes the provision of sufficient numbers of hospital beds to meet local expected demand, taking into account fluctuations in demand that occur throughout the year.
