Jeremy Miles: I take your point about the OBR, but the OBR has also projected that the tiny increase is way below what even on their figures would be required to meet an actual living wage, and well below what the Labour Party are committing to introducing.
Jeremy Miles: Well, as a Member who is still comparatively new to this place, I hope I’ll be forgiven if I haven’t fully understood the conventions of the budget debate, although I think I’ve grasped the pattern over recent years. I haven’t myself been here to witness at first hand the cut, cut, cut to the Welsh Government’s budget over each successive year; I haven’t seen at first hand the...
Jeremy Miles: I note from the First Minister’s response that he will regard our capacity to generate green energy from the sea as a significant asset in tackling climate change for Wales as a tidal nation. As we await the decision of the Westminster Government in relation to the Swansea bay tidal lagoon, and welcome the first ever large-scale tidal energy farm off the coast of the Orkneys, does he join...
Jeremy Miles: Will the First Minister make a statement regarding the development of local supply chains in Neath?
Jeremy Miles: Diolch yn fawr. You mentioned the question of the split multiplier that applies in England and Scotland. Isn’t it the case, though, that we have to be cautious about drawing those direct comparisons, because the nature of the tax base is actually very different—certainly in England—from Wales? In particular with the small number of higher value rateable properties in Wales, the burden...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you for that response. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to ensure that EU legislation that relates to devolved areas is actually transferred here to Wales?
Jeremy Miles: 3. What assessment has the Counsel General made of the likely impact of the UK Government’s Great Repeal Bill on Welsh legislation? OAQ(5)0012(CG)
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Counsel General for his answer. Would he not agree with me that the principles being discussed here, in a sense, lie on the fault line between a hard and a soft Brexit, if you like? The UK will now leave the EU, but the question is: do we then also leave the EEA and the access to the single market that that brings? Article 127 suggests that that is a separate question and—if I...
Jeremy Miles: The First Minister will be aware of comments by the UK transport Secretary a few weeks ago that pressing for the electrification of the rail line from Cardiff to Swansea was jumping the gun and, most recently, comments by the chair of Network Rail that it was not a done deal. He’ll appreciate that my constituents in Neath and, I dare say, those of colleagues west of Cardiff will hear that...
Jeremy Miles: Will the Counsel General outline his assessment of the potential legal implications of the planned litigation against the UK Government in relation to Article 127 of the European Economic Area Agreement? EAQ(5)0015(CG)
Jeremy Miles: Absolutely. That is, in fact, what we heard, and I was going to hope that the Welsh Government could take steps to help clarify that as part of the review, but, obviously, recognising it’s an issue across all parts of the UK in—
Jeremy Miles: Yes, certainly.
Jeremy Miles: Thank you for that clarification. The other major issue that came up in that discussion, I think, was the question of revaluation and the period between revaluations. Gaps, obviously—lengthy gaps—can mean unfair conditions for some businesses, where the valuation doesn’t track the general economic performance, and I think it’s clear from the latest revaluations in Wales that the...
Jeremy Miles: Certainly, yes.
Jeremy Miles: Could I just say, as a member of the committee, with the other members who are here today, how grateful we were to the stakeholders who came to discuss this issue with us over breakfast about a month ago? We had a very interesting morning, and I’d encourage everyone to read the report for a balanced view of the discussion that we had that morning. Mae ardrethi busnes yn amlwg yn rhan bwysig...
Jeremy Miles: May I ask the Cabinet Secretary about the allocations to community pharmacy? I have in mind the statement by the health Secretary about his aspiration to increase the role of community pharmacy, to decrease the pressure on primary care and to integrate IT between hospitals, GPs and community pharmacies. Of course, it also offers the opportunity of relieving pressure on secondary care in terms...
Jeremy Miles: Can I congratulate the Cabinet Secretary on a successful visit to Japan? It’s obviously important to keep these markets open for Welsh exports. Can I ask him to address the particular challenges faced by small and medium-sized businesses in exporting, half of which depend heavily on the internet to drive export sales? He mentioned that he’d had some concerns in Japan around Brexit. As the...
Jeremy Miles: May I commend Steffan Lewis for bringing this debate to the house and for bringing the motion, which I support? I support the Welsh Government’s position and the calls of the NUM over many years for a review of the surplus sharing arrangement. Parts of my constituency were built on the mining industry. Many, many people still claim under the pension as beneficiaries—people who’ve paid...
Jeremy Miles: I thank him for that statement. Tomorrow, as he knows, is Social Enterprise Day. Many childcare settings are delivered via social enterprise, as he’ll know from his familiarity with settings in my constituency. Ensuring the resilience of the sector is vital, and that includes both front-line skills, of course, but also, importantly, skills to do with running the organisations themselves. As...
Jeremy Miles: 9. Will the Minister make a statement about the resilience of social enterprise-delivered childcare services? OAQ(5)0073(CC)
