Nick Ramsay: 5. Will the First Minister make a statement on the future of NHS services at Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny? OAQ53716
Nick Ramsay: Would you also accept that people don't understand either that because council tax is a smaller proportion of the amount that is spent locally—say it's, I don't know, 15 or 20 per cent, whatever it might be—a 1 per cent reduction in the RSG going to a local authority will actually result in a disproportionate increase in that council tax of 5 to 10 per cent?
Nick Ramsay: Can I make an intervention?
Nick Ramsay: Will you give way?
Nick Ramsay: Thanks for giving way. I don't disagree with you, and we wouldn't disagree with you, that any review of the funding formula would have to take all those factors into account, and maybe in some areas it would be decided that amounts of money going to seats like yours, it's right that that should happen, but at the same time we believe that issues such as sparsity in rural areas like Russ...
Nick Ramsay: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Cyclone Idai was the worst storm ever to strike the southern region of Africa, affecting Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, leaving behind a trail of destruction and broken lives. The storm has created an inland ocean in Mozambique the size of Luxembourg. It has killed 700 people and affected around 3 million more. That's almost the same as the population of Wales....
Nick Ramsay: Minister, I applaud you for talking about sustainable communities rather than just sustainable housing and affordable housing. I do agree with the point made by Leanne Wood, and she used a good example that we need to make sure that, yes, we do need new social housing, new affordable housing, but there needs to be sustainability around that. With that in mind, there is great pressure on local...
Nick Ramsay: Mike Hedges has mentioned the use of natural predators to remove species such as knotweed. Minister, if I can take a slightly different angle on this, both native and non-native species are, potentially, good environments for wildlife, a point that is made on the Bee Friendly Monmouthshire website. The Monmouthshire natural assets project is a collaboration between the Gwent Wildlife Trust...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, First Minister. I think you’ve anticipated that I was going to ask about the A466 in Chepstow. Actually, I wasn’t on this occasion, for once. [Laughter.] Yesterday, I was delighted to attend the topping off ceremony at the new Grange university hospital in Cwmbran, along with the Minister, Lynne Neagle, Alun Davies—I think we all had time for a selfie atop the new building...
Nick Ramsay: 2. Will the First Minister provide an update on Welsh Government plans to improve trunk roads in Monmouthshire? OAQ53683
Nick Ramsay: I think that between your answer, Minister, and Hefin David's question you've pretty much touched on all aspects of my knowledge of the foundational economy. At the very end there you mentioned procurement, and it was only the other week in spokesperson's questions that I asked the Minister for Finance and procurement about the valuable role of procurement in developing local supply chains...
Nick Ramsay: What steps is the Welsh Government taking to improve road safety on 'A' roads in the Monmouth constituency?
Nick Ramsay: I'll just regain my confidence before I speak. To be fair to Andrew R.T. Davies, he never was rounding up this debate, so when he did try to intervene, it probably was his last word, but, there we are, I'll do my best to round up. Can I thank everyone who has contributed to this afternoon's discussion? It's only been a couple of weeks, as the Minister has just said, since I spoke here as...
Nick Ramsay: Trefnydd, it was a pleasure to celebrate Commonwealth Day with other Assembly Members and indeed the Llywydd herself, who I believe sponsored the event, upstairs in the Oriel at lunch time. There were a number of organisations present—from Future Leaders Connect, Young Women Empowered movement, Sub-Sahara Advisory Panel—loads of organisations and it was a pleasure to go around and chat to...
Nick Ramsay: Diolch, First Minister. Can you update us on your efforts to deal with some of the teething problems that have befallen the Transport for Wales franchise in its first few months? I did raise this issue in the business statement with the Trefnydd last week. One of my constituents, studying at Hereford Sixth Form College, has experienced many services being delayed or cancelled, and she's very...
Nick Ramsay: 7. Will the First Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government plans for rail services in Monmouthshire? OAQ53570
Nick Ramsay: Diolch. I always like it when Ministers refer to public accounts inquiries, clearly with my Chair of that committee hat on as well. Aside from the work that public accounts has done into this area, according to a recent written Assembly question and answer to that question in 2018, 22 per cent of procurement spend by the Welsh Government on construction contracts worth over £500,000 went to...
Nick Ramsay: Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, I'd like to ask you about procurement. Can you provide us with an update on Welsh Government plans for the future of the National Procurement Service, the NPS, and public procurement in Wales in general?
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, Minister. When I asked your predecessor—you referred to the statement—now sitting on your left—sitting there anyway—about Welsh Government plans for the future of the NPS—physically, that is—in October 2018, he told me that customers felt that 'a collective approach to public procurement in Wales was better secured through a strengthened regional tier'— you've just...
Nick Ramsay: I thought Lynne Neagle was going to be answering the questions there for a moment.
