Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. Our strategy, 'Welcome to Wales: Priorities for the visitor economy 2020-25', sets our vision and ambition for the sector across Wales. The Valleys of south Wales feature prominently in Visit Wales's promotional activities and, indeed, in our capital investment programme for tourism.
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the questions and the comments. As you know, this Government was elected by the people of Wales, just over a year ago, and we have an open co-operation agreement we published with Plaid Cymru on a range of sectors, and we're committed to doing what we said we would do within that agreement. We have had a consultation. The original consultation, last autumn, had almost 1,000...
Vaughan Gething: The Minister for Finance and Local Government held a round-table meeting with all Ministers with a portfolio interest in February, and then again earlier this week, to discuss the outcome of both consultations on local taxes for second homes and self-catering accommodation. The Minister for Finance and Local Government will be announcing the outcome of the technical consultation shortly.
Vaughan Gething: I should say that I'm a member of the Cardiff and Vale Credit Union myself, as well as being a proud Welsh Labour and Co-op Member. I've previously had ministerial responsibility for credit unions, and they do provide additional access to financial services for vulnerable individuals and families, but more than that, they also provide facilities for businesses too. They're part of the...
Vaughan Gething: I thank you for the question. As the Member will know, credit unions are the lead responsibility of the Minister for Social Justice. The Welsh Government has invested £0.5 million annually in credit unions. During the pandemic, we provided £2 million of capital funding to ensure that credit unions could continue to support the financially vulnerable. Since December of last year, we have...
Vaughan Gething: I've visited a range of the projects that Jayne Bryant has mentioned. Indeed, it was just a few weeks ago that I was with Councillor Mudd and Jayne Bryant in the indoor market, and it's a fantastic new offer—really full and more to come. I indeed look forward to the Member opening her own office as part of that development as well. I think that there are good reasons to be positive about...
Vaughan Gething: I have a very good and constructive relationship with the newly re-elected leader of the council of Newport, Jane Mudd, leading the Welsh Labour team to victory with the endorsement of the people of Newport. And, indeed, they rejected a range of the interesting and yet wholly unfunded and unachievable suggestions in the Welsh Conservative manifesto, including the barrage, of course, which was...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. I understand, Llywydd, that you have given permission for questions 1 and 8 to be grouped. The draft regional economic framework highlights how the Welsh Government and its partners will continue to attract major investment to the Newport area. In addition, my officials work closely with both Newport council and the capital region to provide the infrastructure and...
Vaughan Gething: Our vision is a well-being economy, which drives prosperity, is environmentally sound and helps everyone realise their potential. To help us to understand Wales’ future we have national well-being indicators and we have set national milestones to provide a mechanism for monitoring national progress towards the seven well-being goals of the Well-being of Future Generations Act.
Vaughan Gething: In terms of unemployment, the latest figures show that the unemployment rate in Wales was at 3 per cent, compared to a UK rate of 3.8 per cent. Over the last decade, we have helped more than 19,000 young people access good quality work through Jobs Growth Wales. More generally, Wales has the second-fastest growth of any UK country or region over the period between the recession in 2008 and...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you to Members for their contributions. I'm sorry I won't be able to respond in detail to each one of you and the points made. I should, though, at the start just make clear that the Welsh Government, to the surprise of no-one, opposes the motion. And on the amendment, whilst I agree with much of what Cefin Campbell had to say, we simply don't agree on independence being the answer. I...
Vaughan Gething: Yes, I think the Member makes a number of important points, both about council staff that have already been recruited and about making sure that those contracts are honoured and those people have work to do. It's also about there having been a good bit of wasted time, energy and effort in both local authorities as well, and I doubt that the staff at Pembrokeshire authority or, indeed, in Ynys...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the comments and the questions. I'll again try to deal with all of them. On council spend, I've given an undertaking, following discussions with ministerial colleagues, to both councils, Pembrokeshire and the Isle of Anglesey County Council, that the cost for recruitment that they were undertaking would be covered. A handful of job offers have been made on Ynys Môn, and so...
Vaughan Gething: On borders, my frustration is that we have tried to engage with UK Ministers on the rapidly evolving situation, and we have not made progress because there has not been a willingness to engage with us, as the Member recognised in his opening, and recognised that meaningful dialogue has not taken place with devolved Governments. I've indicated that my recent letter was to the Department for...
Vaughan Gething: I thank the Member for the series of questions, which I'll try to answer as rapidly as possible. In terms of the representation the Welsh Government has made to the UK Government on the cost of living, and border policy on the cost of living, we've run through this several times in the Chamber. In direct conversation that has taken place within this Government, but also representations made...
Vaughan Gething: The UK Government Minister for Brexit Opportunities, Jacob Rees-Mogg, stated in his written statement to the UK Parliament on 28 April that the introduction of border controls threatened to increase pressure on already hard-pressed businesses and consumers, who are dealing with the rising cost of living and increased energy prices. It also risked causing disruption at our ports and to supply...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Llywydd. I'd like to update Members on the future of border controls in Great Britain. Following my written statement recently on 28 April, last week, Members will recall that I made a previous statement to the Senedd in January of this year on the UK Government’s plans for documentary, identity and physical checks on goods at border control posts from 1 July this year and how we...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you. It's an important point. It's often the case that, when larger businesses do cease or significantly reduce their operation, there are often other businesses in their supply chain who are left in financial distress as well. So, the ripple effect from a significant event like this can be sometimes hidden. So, I'm grateful to the Member for raising it. In terms of practical support,...
Vaughan Gething: Well, there have been regular attempts to reach out to the company, and we've had conversations with them about the jetty and the position for cruise ships. You will recall that we reached an alternative arrangement to make sure that the season wasn't cancelled last year. Our challenge is in ensuring that the conversation is a genuine dialogue rather than an offer of support, where there...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question and the series of points. Starting with what I said in my opening response, my thoughts are with workers at what will be a distressing time. It's always difficult when you lose a job when you don't want to, but in particular to lose a job in dramatic circumstances, where you're unsighted and not forewarned. And there's a good reason why employment law in this...
