Alun Davies: Can I ask for two statements and a general debate, if I could, please? The first statement follows on from the previous question, in fact. In terms of our experience of Brexit so far, no matter where you stood on the question itself, I think it's fair to say that it's been pretty much a disaster for these last two months. We haven't just seen the fishing industry affected, we've seen most of...
Alun Davies: I'm grateful to you for that, Minister. You will have seen the Welsh Affairs Select Committee's report from Westminster, published in the autumn, which was a devastating report and a devastating condemnation of a UK Government by a committee largely dominated by Conservative Members. They made two criticisms of the UK Government. First of all, there was the lack of engagement that you...
Alun Davies: 4. What discussions has the Minister had with the UK Government regarding the shared prosperity fund? OQ56275
Alun Davies: I'm grateful to the Minister for the contribution in opening this debate. There are three issues that I'd like to cover in this contribution this afternoon: the structure of our finances, and then income and expenditure. Let's look at the structure first. The Finance Committee is very clear in its report that the way in which the budget is structured and the context within which the budget is...
Alun Davies: I'm grateful to you for that, Minister; I think that part of the overall position taken by the Government has been very successful over the last five years. But you will have seen the reports, which I asked the First Minister about yesterday, which have demonstrated very clearly that areas such as Blaenau Gwent and the Heads of the Valleys region will suffer disproportionately as a...
Alun Davies: 7. Will the Minister make a statement on post-COVID housing support for communities in the Heads of the Valleys? OQ56237
Alun Davies: Will the Minister make a statement on Welsh Government initiatives to tackle environmental crime?
Alun Davies: I'm grateful to the Minister for the way in which she introduced this legislation this afternoon. I would say very gently to the Conservatives they need to learn not to oppose absolutely everything that the Government is seeking to do in dealing with this pandemic. These are very, very difficult days, and I do sympathise greatly with the Minister in taking the decisions that she has outlined...
Alun Davies: I will do so. It seems rather perverse that we have this debate here. So, I would like to hear from the Government how they intend to pursue this matter in the future. Because I think it's an important part of the overall structure of governance that the Government is able to pursue the matter of alternative taxations.
Alun Davies: I'm grateful to you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and grateful to the Minister for her statement. There are two issues I want to raise with her this afternoon. First of all is the place of tax, not simply as a means of raising revenue, but also as a tool of policy to deliver and to shape policy. I'm disappointed that the Government does not include sustainability as one of its key principles for...
Alun Davies: I raised the issue of the differential economic impact of the coronavirus on deprived communities during First Minister's questions. I would like to ask for a Government debate on this matter. This is something that has been the subject of a number of different studies and reports and analyses over the last few months, and it will set the agenda for the Government's approach, I would hope,...
Alun Davies: I'm grateful to the First Minister for that. He will have seen the reports and analysis that have been published over the last few weeks, all of which have demonstrated clearly that communities such as Blaenau Gwent and the Heads of the Valleys are likely to suffer a much worse economic impact as a consequence of the coronavirus than many other communities. These communities will therefore...
Alun Davies: 2. Will the First Minister make a statement on the UK Government's proposals for the shared prosperity fund? OQ56240
Alun Davies: I'm grateful to the Minister for that response. We've seen a number of different reports published over the last few days, and without spending time listing them all, they all say essentially two things: first of all that the depth of the economic challenge facing us post COVID and post Brexit is far greater than, perhaps, we would have recognised some time ago, and the second thing they say...
Alun Davies: 4. Will the Minister make a statement on Welsh Government investment to support economic development in the Heads of the Valleys? OQ56186
Alun Davies: I will be supporting the Government this afternoon, and also supporting the Government when the substantive legislation comes before us next week. As one of the Ministers who did introduce emergency legislation, I've given this some serious consideration, because it is a mechanism that should only be used when the circumstances demand it. We learned today that we've lost more people to COVID...
Alun Davies: I'm grateful to you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and grateful to the Deputy Minister as well. I note that the Government are accepting the recommendation on the Ebbw valley line going to four trains an hour and I'd be grateful for an indication of the timescale on that. I would also like to understand what the future vision is for the line, because when it was created and when it was restored...
Alun Davies: I'm grateful to you, Presiding Officer. Can I ask for two statements this afternoon, please? First of all on fisheries, and secondly on the shared prosperity fund. Minister, I don't think any of us could have failed to have been moved by the reports that we're seeing from the fishing industry at the moment. I don't like to use this language, but it's difficult to say that the fishing industry...
Alun Davies: I'm grateful, Presiding Officer, and thank you for your answers on this, First Minister. I visited the mass vaccination centre that opened in Ebbw Vale last Thursday, and I have to say it was an inspiring and uplifting experience to see the enthusiasm of the nursing staff, of the health service workers, working alongside the RAF personnel who were there managing the process—it was something...
Alun Davies: Can I say how much I strongly support the principles behind each one of these petitions? We're all aware of the very serious situation with the coronavirus at the moment, and I think everybody is aware that we can't do things that we would choose to do and we can't do and behave in the way that we might do so normally, and that is understandable. But we're also aware that, as the Government...
