Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm pleased to be speaking in today’s debate. Over the course of this Senedd term, the Commission and chief executive have worked with the committee to produce transparent financial information, and I do hope that this effective working relationship will continue into the sixth Senedd. The committee welcomes the news that the project to procure...
Llyr Gruffydd: The Minister, I'm sure, will be aware of the steps that are in the pipeline to make a bid to the UK Government's ideas fund to look at the possibility of reopening the line between Bangor and Afonwen. Now, that would, of course, complete a very important loop in terms of the north-west, and with the possible development of the Carmarthen to Aberystwyth line, that would transform the rail...
Llyr Gruffydd: 4. Will the Minister make a statement on rail infrastructure in north Wales? OQ55838
Llyr Gruffydd: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. As we all know, this week is Climate Week, and it's a chance to reflect on our collective efforts and commitment to addressing the present and enduring climate and nature crisis. Since the Senedd declared a climate emergency in 2019, we maybe haven't seen the decisive shift in approach that many of us would have hoped for, indeed maybe would have expected, and I know...
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, I hope that you're already starting to see the concern across north Wales about mental health services, and it's not just because of the crisis that we're currently facing but for historic reasons, too. You will know that deficiencies in the mental health services was one of the reasons why the board was placed into special measures in the first place, and many people feel that direct...
Llyr Gruffydd: 5. Will the Minister make a statement on mental health care in North Wales? OQ55787
Llyr Gruffydd: If the revenue is shared, is it going to be shared on a population basis? Is it going to be Barnettised? Is it going to reflect the fact that 9 per cent of the installations subject to the scheme are based in Wales, or that 15 per cent, I think, of the UK emissions within the scheme come from Wales? ETS participants account for 46 per cent of total Welsh emissions and 30 per cent of UK...
Llyr Gruffydd: As we've heard, this Order has been published in isolation, to all intents and purposes. It's supposed to be a package of five pieces of legislation feeding into a common framework and that should be seen alongside this concordat that is to be agreed on how Governments are to come together to make it work. Now, asking us to pass this Order today without us having seen the Order in that...
Llyr Gruffydd: What support is the Welsh Government providing to higher education institutions in light of the current challenges?
Llyr Gruffydd: It's perhaps illuminating that EDF, the firm behind the project, have now felt it necessary to undertake an environmental impact assessment before Natural Resources Wales insisted on them doing so. I think that that is a recognition of the need for a comprehensive and thorough analysis of sediment samples. And this goes beyond the initial sampling plan, which was the subject of public...
Llyr Gruffydd: I think the fact that we're discussing this in the Chamber today highlights that there are very real concerns among the people of Wales on the intention to dump mud from Hinkley off the south Wales coast. I have been in touch with scientists, campaigners and the Geiger Bay campaign particularly, and all of them expressed real concerns about the impact of such dumping on the environment,...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for that response. The houses within that higher rate include a number of different kinds of houses, such as second homes, buy-to-let properties and properties sold to housing associations, and so on. So there's a range within that same rate. Now, recently in the Senedd we have discussed the housing crisis and particular proposals to tackle that, but it's proved impossible to get...
Llyr Gruffydd: 5. Will the Minister make a statement on the number of higher rate houses appearing in the latest land transaction tax figures? OQ55756
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd dros dro. For a minute, I thought the Minister was rowing back a little bit from what I had understood the position to be, but I think—. I'm presuming that being open to continuing with this discussion is actually saying that you are happy to and that you will engage, and I'm sure your successor in the next Senedd will hopefully be amenable to that. Just in...
Llyr Gruffydd: Our first conclusion is that we believe, as a point of principle, that there should be annual legislation to pass the Welsh Government budget, and this would ensure that the Senedd is able to effectively influence the Executive. Our evidence gathering for this inquiry commenced with a visit to Scotland, where we held formal sessions with representatives from the Scottish budget process review...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much, acting Deputy Presiding Officer. As Chair of the Finance Committee, I'm very pleased to be opening this debate today in relation, of course, to our inquiry into a legislative budget process. I would like to thank all of those who contributed to our inquiry and, of course, to the Minister, too, for her response to our report. Now, the Wales Act 2014 gave the Senedd powers...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much for your response. I know that you'll be aware of the report published recently by Farming Connect, 'Language of the Land', and we know about the census figures that show that 43 per cent of agricultural workers speak Welsh, as compared to 19 per cent of the general population. Now, under the well-being of future generations Act, the Welsh language and culture are a pillar...
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, you still haven't given me any specific actions, but I'll move on, because actions do speak louder than words and we saw this week how Tory Members of Parliament in Westminster removed from the UK Agriculture Bill, of course, clauses that would have protected food standards in this country in future trade deals. And in doing so, of course, they let Welsh farmers down. They exposed them...
Llyr Gruffydd: I'm glad you share my concerns. I'm not sure that that gives me the assurances I was looking for. I didn't hear any specifics, other than 'ongoing discussions'. Now, we're 12 weeks away, of course, from this potential eventuality, and your Government needs to be ready to implement actions in 12 weeks' time. I was hoping to hear, maybe, how you were looking to ramp up cold storage capacity, to...
Llyr Gruffydd: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Tomorrow, Minister, of course, is the deadline set by Boris Johnson to come to an agreement with the EU on a post-Brexit trade deal, after which, he says, the UK is ready and willing to walk away, leaving us with 'no deal' chaos and realising the worst nightmares, of course, of the agricultural industry here in Wales. And we all know the figures: 82 per cent of beef...
