Peter Fox: Diolch, Deputy Llywydd, and many thanks to everybody who's contributed to this really important debate today. And can I thank my colleague Tom Giffard for opening up and for putting me to shame, because I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to speak Welsh as Tom did? And I congratulate you on your progress and I hope to emulate you some time in the future. Countries right across the world...
Peter Fox: I certainly will do.
Peter Fox: Well, thank you very much. I'm hoping that many Welsh MPs listen to this today and we will make sure that the voices of all of us are heard loud and clear as we champion this cause even further. Can I thank—[Interruption.] In the spirit of debate, I'll continue to be optimistic. Thank you for your comment, Tom, and for your depth of introduction again. It was really helpful, just reminding...
Peter Fox: Can I confirm that the Welsh Conservative group will be supporting the continuation of the freeze on the Welsh rates of income tax? And I recognise all of those pressures on families that the Minister shared and, indeed, I fear things may get worse with, obviously, what's happening in eastern Europe. If I may, though, I just want to push the Minister a bit further on the need to clarify the...
Peter Fox: First of all, I would like to thank you, Minister, for your statement, and also thank you and your officials for their engagement with myself over the course of the budget process—that's much appreciated. Can I also thank the Chairman of the Finance Committee for his report today, which sums up very well the points raised in that committee? Deputy Llywydd, I don't think that it will come as...
Peter Fox: Oh, I'm sorry. Sorry, Mike. Please, yes.
Peter Fox: Well, I tried to do—[Interruption.] Sorry. I tried this year to outline some depth into what we as a party were prepared to present, and I've made those points clear in this Chamber on two or three times. And in the future, I look to bring a full alternative budget forward, as I think it's the responsibility of an opposition to do that. Sadly, we don't see that too often. But we are, with...
Peter Fox: I think, sadly, there's a lot of smoke and mirrors around funding claims in this place, and there is—[Interruption.] There is a constant contradiction in perspectives from UK Government to Wales Government. The facts are that there was an extra £2.5 billion this year, or more, that has passported through to Welsh Government, to enable the Welsh Government to do the things it has aspired to...
Peter Fox: Sorry. Yes, I am. Yes. And we in the opposition will continue to press the Welsh Government to make every pound of investment count, not only to support the recovery but to deliver hope and aspiration across the country, because our communities need this budget to deliver. Diolch, Deputy Llywydd.
Peter Fox: Can I declare an interest also, as a councillor of Monmouthshire County Council for a short period longer? And I absolutely share the sentiments regarding our councils and all they do. I've said many times that the greatest resource that a council has is its staff, and their staff have done fantastically, and continue to do so, and I thank them for that. Members will recall that recently in...
Peter Fox: Diolch, Llywydd, and good afternoon, Minister. Europe, and indeed the entire world, has been shaken to its core by events in Ukraine. A totally unnecessary and barbaric war, brought about by an individual blinded by his own perverse view of the world, will have far-reaching consequences beyond the borders of eastern Europe. I'm confident that every Member sitting in this Chamber would agree...
Peter Fox: Thank you for that response, Minister; that's reassuring, and those of us on these benches will do all we can to help in that quest to bring those positive outcomes. Now, Minister, last week, it was reported by the BBC that around £200 million of Welsh local government pension schemes are currently tied up in Russian funds and companies. In more normal times, such investments would be...
Peter Fox: That's really helpful. Thank you for that, Minister. Minister, the international community has rightly come together to impose wide-ranging sanctions on Putin and his cronies. Of course, these are absolutely necessary, and these are likely to be increased. However, these sanctions will be felt right across the board—from hard-working families to small and large businesses and, indeed, our...
Peter Fox: 1. Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's refreshed TB eradication programme? OQ57742
Peter Fox: Thank you, Minister, for that response. I would also just like to remind Members that I'm a farmer, as stated in my register of interests, and I currently haven't got TB. Minister, your recent consultation on the refreshed TB eradication plan proposed changes to the current system for valuing animals compulsorily slaughtered by Welsh Government as a result of bovine TB. However, there are...
Peter Fox: 'We don't want our children to be killed, but our children are being killed. Our hospitals are being bombed, everything is being destroyed. Planes are flying and dropping bombs everywhere; we don't know where the next rocket will land.' These were the dire words of a distraught mother as Russia indiscriminately bombarded Ukraine with bomb after bomb after bomb. It's impossible not to be moved...
Peter Fox: Can I also thank the Minister for her statement today and the Chair of the Finance Committee for his reflections on the budget? The Welsh Conservative group will be abstaining on the motion before us. Of course, it amends the 2021-22 budget, which we have previously outlined our position on. Many of the allocations set out in this supplementary budget were made against the backdrop of our...
Peter Fox: Could I once again thank the Minister for this statement? And I would like to state that the Welsh Conservative group will be supporting the motion on the agenda. I generally welcome the announcement that councils will receive an additional £60 million in their RSG for 2021-22. As the Minister stated in her letter to council leaders, councils are facing multiple budgetary pressure, for...
Peter Fox: 5. What assessment has the Commission made of the impact of the economic sanctions on Russia on staff and Members' pension funds? OQ57807
Peter Fox: Thank you, Commissioner, for that response. I think that was very helpful for Members and others watching in. As we all know, there is a wide-ranging movement across the UK and the wider world to disinvest from Russia based businesses as well as stocks and shares. Of course, in normal times, it's usual practice to use things like pension schemes to invest in foreign stocks and shares, but...
