Mike Hedges: I want to make three very quick points on the Barnett formula and Barnett consequentials. Of course, the Barnett consequential is the minimum amount that we have to have; there's no reason why we cannot be given more than the Barnett formula, and we know that Northern Ireland quite regularly gets more than the Barnett formula. On the consequentials of English-only expenditure in devolved...
Mike Hedges: We know now which types of businesses have been missed by the support scheme. We've talked a lot about them this afternoon. Generally grouping, however, does not work. For example, in retail, supermarkets and online retailers are having the equivalent of Christmas every week, and those who, for example, are predominantly clothing and jewellery stores are closed. We have exactly the same with...
Mike Hedges: I'm being contacted by sole traders—driving instructors, photographers, plumbers—whose work has just ended. They've made enquiries and they've been told there is no support for them within the current system. Is that correct, and if it's not correct, can you ask whoever's giving that information out to tell them what support there is for them, because these are people who have just lost...
Mike Hedges: I've just been unmuted. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Can I also join my thanks to those people working in the essential part of our economy? We often talk about the foundation part of our economy; we're now discovering what the essential part of our economy is. I hope that we will use that term much more often. I've had a number of issues raised with me by constituents that I'd like to...
Mike Hedges: I think that David Melding raised a really important point, because far too much of current events, which will be looked at in history in the future, are ephemeral—they're being held digitally, and they will disappear. I think that's something that we need to all worry about. But two things I would like to raise. Two parts of Welsh history are often ignored. Firstly, the working class...
Mike Hedges: Can I start off by saying that my sister is profoundly deaf? So, I have an interest in this. But, if you are deaf, you are less likely to be in paid employment; if you are in paid employment, you're likely to be low paid, and you're likely to have few, if any, qualifications. The one thing that would improve this is improving the situation of British Sign Language, treating it and making it a...
Mike Hedges: Will you take an intervention?
Mike Hedges: Thank you. I think, what you're talking about, it really is important, because people who are generally well are amongst the worst. I think of our colleague Steffan Lewis, who was a very fit and well person. It's only when he got very seriously ill, at stage 4, that he was diagnosed. Getting it early is so important.
Mike Hedges: This week is the hundredth anniversary of the death of Daniel James. Daniel James was a poet and hymn writer, but he is far better known by his bardic name, Gwyrosydd. Whilst being a prolific hymn writer, he is best known for composing the words of Calon Lân, which is normally sung to a tune written by John Hughes who was from Ynystawe in Swansea. He was both born and buried in Swansea. He...
Mike Hedges: Can I thank the Minister for that response? The amount of money spent on services is easily accounted for, but what's more difficult to identify is the outcomes achieved by that money. Does the Minister currently or does the Minister intend to set targets to be achieved with additional money provided to the different Ministers so that we can see that we're getting enough bang for our buck?
Mike Hedges: 8. Will the Minister outline the Welsh Government's budget prioritisation process? OAQ55192
Mike Hedges: I thank the First Minister for his answer. I think that one of the things we don't want is our natural resources being turned into wealth in another place rather than Wales. Energy transmission has changed from power station to end user, now with lots of local generation going to the grid. I remember the diagram that showed a power station in one place, lines going all the way, and ending up...
Mike Hedges: 3. Will the First Minister make a statement on Welsh Government support for local and community energy generation projects around Wales? OAQ55191
Mike Hedges: I believe the only way that you're going to be able to deal with the housing shortage is to build council houses in the numbers built between 1945 and 1979, and that went across both Conservative and Labour Governments during that time, who were committed to building more and more council houses, which did deal with the problem caused after the second world war of huge numbers of people...
Mike Hedges: Of course, we as individuals could do something more as well, and plant trees in our own gardens. I also want to stress the importance of trees in reducing pollution, flooding and acting as carbon stores. What support is the Welsh Government giving to agroforestry, which would help with flood mitigation, reduce flash flooding and reduce overland flows?
Mike Hedges: 3. Will the Minister provide an update on plans to increase tree planting across Wales? OAQ55144
Mike Hedges: 9. How many council dwellings does the Welsh Government expect to be built in the financial year 2020/21? OAQ55147
Mike Hedges: It's up to the Government at Westminster. They can give us the Barnett consequential, they can give us a sum of money for it, or they can give us nothing. It's their decision, and I would hope that you would join with all of us in saying they ought to be giving us at least some of it.
Mike Hedges: I'm going to be supporting the budget. I believe that local government does need more money, but I believe the whole of the public sector in Wales needs more money. But I want to discuss the reason for the aggregate external finance, what we used to call the Welsh Government budget settlement, and then to discuss this year's settlement. The aggregate external finance is a combination of...
Mike Hedges: I can give you an alternative budget, because I'd put more money into education, more money into housing. I would not be supporting Help to Buy—all it does is inflate house prices—and I would not be spending so much money on the economy portfolio. I'd be spending it on education, which would help the economy. So, whilst I support the budget and will vote for it, I would actually have an...
