Nick Ramsay: Leanne Wood.
Nick Ramsay: First Minister, I appreciate that parties involved have had to sign non-disclosure agreements, which limits the information that you might be able to give, but following on from John Griffiths’s question, can I ask you if you have had any discussions specifically about the viability of the Llanwern part of the Welsh steel operation, of direct concern to my constituents? We know that there...
Nick Ramsay: 1.Will the First Minister provide an updateon local government reform? OAQ(5)0020(FM)
Nick Ramsay: That’s a very encouraging answer, First Minister. You’re an astute man, and it won’t have escaped your notice that I’ve been opposing the plans to abolish the county of Monmouthshire as part of the local government reorganisation proposed by the last Welsh Government. Now that the Minister responsible for these plans has moved on to greater things, isn’t now a good time to get back...
Nick Ramsay: Diolch. Leader of the house, I wonder if I could ask you for an update from the new Cabinet Secretary for infrastructure and transport on the development of the south Wales metro scheme. Members of the previous Assembly will remember that I was most concerned when the town of Monmouth dropped off some of the south Wales metro maps, reappeared on others and dropped off subsequent maps. So,...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you for giving way, First Minister. I hear what you say on the issue of devolution of income tax, but would you also agree with me that it’s important that we have clarity on the mechanism that will be used to reduce the block grant subsequent to the devolution of income tax, so that Wales isn’t actually short-changed in the long term?
Nick Ramsay: Will you take an intervention, Minister?
Nick Ramsay: Thank you for giving way. I just heard what you said in terms of local communities receiving the benefits from local renewable energy schemes. Of course, that’s what they should get, and that’s what we want them to get, but there have been some occasions in my constituency where those community benefits haven’t been realised, and companies have tried not to give the full level of...
Nick Ramsay: 5. Will the First Minister provide an update on any discussions with the UK Government regarding the devolution of taxes? OAQ(5)0063(FM)
Nick Ramsay: I’m getting predictable—you’ve anticipated my supplementary, First Minister. You mentioned in answer to the last question the challenges that face us in getting adequate funds from the Treasury. Certainly, following the devolution of taxes, it’s going to be crucial that that fiscal framework is in place so that any subsequent deductions from the block grant are actually not going to...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Can I thank the Secretary for her statement this afternoon and for putting forward the action plan? If I can, I’ll just ask you about two points. First of all, this is probably a good opportunity to join Simon Thomas in flagging up the CAMRA event at the Assembly tomorrow evening—always a popular event; I can’t imagine why. I know that you’re going...
Nick Ramsay: Minister, I’ve asked you previously about the community benefits of renewable energy schemes. I’ll ask you again because it is a very important issue for my constituents. When a solar farm was being planned at Llanvapley between Monmouth and Abergavenny in my area, it was opposed by local people. After it was passed, they subsequently found that they’d lost the opportunity to lobby for...
Nick Ramsay: Minister, I’m pleased that Julie Morgan has raised this question; it is an important and a sensitive area. Adoption is a rewarding, but also a challenging thing for anyone to do. Peer support is clearly a vital element of the support services and the National Adoption Service. How are you strengthening the networks to ensure that adopters have access to the support that they need?
Nick Ramsay: Thank you for giving way, Secretary. I’m pleased to hear that you’re trying to seek a consensus on this. That wasn’t always the approach of your predecessor. Would you agree with me that councils such as Monmouthshire have put forward interesting ideas in terms of providing a combined authority where you would not have the expense of reorganisation, but you would be making sure that...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, First Minister. I agree with some of the comments made by David Rowlands earlier. Do you share my concern that we have enough trouble getting the money we’re due out of the Treasury anyway, and we have done since 1999 because of the way the Barnett formula has worked over that time, so, when it comes to getting additional money out of the Treasury to replace the money we’re...
Nick Ramsay: Leader of the house, I wonder if we could have an update or statement on progress being made with the implementation of the city deal. We know there has been a great deal of concern following the outcome of the recent referendum result regarding the funding, particularly the European strands of funding, that will be going to the city deal. This does involve a large number of local...
Nick Ramsay: First Minister, I’d like to focus on the very first part of your statement relating to devolved taxes. As you say, the Welsh Government is in the process at the moment of setting up the Welsh Revenue Authority. I did seek to get it changed to ‘Revenue Wales’ in the last Assembly, but that was unsuccessful. So, we have the WRA, and, as you mentioned, landfill disposals tax and land...
Nick Ramsay: Diolch. Cabinet Secretary, welcome to you your new role and thank you for your initial discussions with me about some of the challenges that we face over this Assembly term. Secretary, the last week has certainly seen a seismic change in the political landscape, welcomed by some more than others in this Chamber. We are now faced with a number of key questions about the future funding of...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, Secretary, and, as you know, you have our support in terms of developing an effective fiscal framework. As you will know, I’ve long been concerned about the mechanism for making reductions to the block grant, following tax, particularly income tax, devolution. If we get the wrong mechanism, Wales could be significantly short-changed over time in a way that may almost force tax...
Nick Ramsay: Secretary, I don’t have to tell you that this is an extremely complex area, but it is one that is very important to our future fiscal well-being here in Wales. On the Barnett formula itself, clearly, withdrawal from the European Union and the subsequent loss of EU funding will make Barnett reform even more imperative than it was before. What assurances are you seeking, or have you sought,...
