Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much. Deputy Presiding Officer. May I thank everyone who has contributed to this debate—particularly to the Minister, as she mentioned earlier, for accepting all of the recommendations, either in full or in principle? We note, of course, that she is open to further devolution on taxation powers to Wales. Mike Hedges has drawn attention, of course, to the fact that, when Nick...
Llyr Gruffydd: As the power to vary income tax rates in Wales applies only to non-savings and non-dividend income, we heard that Wales will be particularly exposed to taxpayers mitigating their liability through switching from earnings to other forms of income. For example, those who are self-employed could respond to tax variations by incorporating their business, in order to pay corporation tax on profits...
Llyr Gruffydd: With the end of this Senedd fast approaching, of course, the Finance Committee decided to examine the potential effects of having different income tax rates across the Wales-England border, particularly given the concentration of people living close to that border. I would like to thank all of those who contributed, and the Minister for finance for her response to our report and for accepting...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much, Llywydd. I'm very pleased to open this debate as Chair of the Finance Committee on our inquiry into the impact of variations in national and sub-national income tax. As we know, the prospect of differing income tax rates across the UK is a rather new notion, with the partial devolution of income tax to Wales only being in force since April 2019. To date, the rates have so...
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, thank you very much for that response, but you will, of course, be aware of the recent report by Audit Wales on Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, which went £60 million over budget. Now, there is criticism made of the health board there, but it's also very critical of the governance arrangements of the Welsh Government. Despite the clear concerns expressed about the business plan, and the fact that...
Llyr Gruffydd: 2. Will the Minister make a statement on the governance of public projects funded by the Welsh Government? OQ55573
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, it's basically that we have a statement from the finance Minister explaining why she believes that withdrawing the rates grant scheme for hydropower generators is a good idea, given the Government's ambitions in terms of net-zero carbon.
Llyr Gruffydd: Can I ask for two statements, Trefnydd, one from the Minister for the economy and transport regarding his recent announcement on the red route proposal relating, of course, to the A55 along the Flintshire corridor? I've been absolutely inundated by constituents who are very concerned and who actually see legitimate and clear parallels with the decision around the M4 relief road in Newport....
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd. I am very pleased to be able to move this motion today on behalf of the Finance Committee, and ask the Senedd to agree to appoint Lindsay Foyster as chair of the Wales Audit Office board, of course, in accordance with the Public Audit (Wales) Act 2013. Lindsay Foyster has vast experience of operating at board level within both the third and public...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much for that response. The assurance has been given with regard to the first quarter. I just want clarity that that will follow in the second quarter of this financial year. But, of course, a number of local authorities are planning their budgets for next year and some of them are considering departmental cuts. So, I ask you whether there is any guidance or message that you...
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, thank you for that response, but in dealing with casework recently I came to realise that 90 per cent of Welsh rivers do not have the gauges to measure water flow in those rivers. Now, that's the data that's being used to produce these maps across Wales, and it's those maps, of course, that are the basis for a number of planning decisions in all parts of Wales and a number of decisions...
Llyr Gruffydd: Okay. Well, we will need all sorts of contingencies, of course, and people are looking to the Welsh Government, obviously, to be leading from the front on that, and I would hope that you feel that you do have the resources, or if not, then we'll all need to bang the drum to make sure that they are there. One thinks particularly of the need to handle surplus lamb in a 'no deal' scenario. There...
Llyr Gruffydd: That's the longer term plan; I was asking you about short-term, interim arrangements, because there will be a two to three-year period, therefore, when there isn't any kind of bespoke support for young entrants. It's needed now particularly, because we continually need new blood, new ideas and new enthusiasm. And with the prospect—the increasing prospect, actually—of a 'no deal' Brexit,...
Llyr Gruffydd: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Minister, your consultation on proposals to continue agricultural support for farmers in a post-Brexit transition period through to whatever point it is that we manage to get a new Wales agriculture Bill passed proposes to close the young farmer scheme for new applications from next year onwards. Can you give us confirmation or clarity as to longer term intentions in...
Llyr Gruffydd: 7. Will the Minister make a statement on the accuracy of Wales's flood maps? OQ55515
Llyr Gruffydd: 4. Will the Minister make a statement on the local government budget in light of COVID-19? OQ55496
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Minister, for the statement. I noted what you had to say about the work to tackle homelessness and to increase the number of social houses available. I had hoped to hear more from you in the statement on how the Government is going to use the planning system to tackle the inequality and the increasing unsustainability in housing markets in many communities across Wales, driven...
Llyr Gruffydd: Minister, could we have a statement on the steps that the Government is taking to respond proactively to the housing crisis that we see in so many communities across Wales? It is a crisis, of course, driven mainly, but not only, by the fact that an increasing number of homes are now being bought as second homes or holiday accommodation. It's intensified also by the fact that more people are...
Llyr Gruffydd: Will the First Minister make a statement on the governance of public projects funded by the Welsh Government?
Llyr Gruffydd: I was going to start by saying that this isn't a debate about a shopping list of investment items. But, of course, people obviously feel very strongly about various different fields. But, this debate is not a sort of extended letter to Santa Claus, as Alun Davies may have suggested at the outset. This is an opportunity, of course, for us to consider that cultural shift from a situation where...
