Mark Drakeford: Thank you very much, Llywydd. For 70 years, we have always known that this time would come. But, ultimately, it came swiftly and unexpectedly. It's difficult to believe now that we were gathered here in the Senedd just a short few months ago to celebrate the unique achievement of the Platinum Jubilee. The Queen was unwell, following her years of service and self-sacrifice. Old age does not...
Mark Drakeford: I thank Peter Fox for what he said. I'll think carefully about what he said. I have to say, Llywydd, we are awash with data. We publish a mountain of data as a Government. It's not a problem of having insufficient data, what we don't always do as much as we would wish to do is to focus on the explanation that lies behind that data, the understanding of it. If there's more we can do in future...
Mark Drakeford: I thank Rhun ap Iorwerth. Of course, we want to co-operate with Plaid Cymru on everything that's in our agreement. As he said, we have started on that work quickly already, and I'm looking forward to December when we will have an opportunity to report on everything that's in the agreement fully. We have been talking today, Llywydd, about a number of things where we have already...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, diolch yn fawr. Can I thank Andrew R.T. Davies for what he said about the ability to work together when the circumstances allow for that? There will be opportunities in the coming year as well to continue to do that where we have some shared agendas. It's the business of opposition parties to oppose, Llywydd, so I understand that when the leader of the opposition grasps a single...
Mark Drakeford: In that context, Llywydd, we will do everything that we can to support people through this crisis. Policies across the 20 years of devolution have put money back in people's pockets: free bus travel for an increasing number of Welsh citizens; free prescriptions for all; free breakfasts in our primary schools and now, free school dinners as well; we've retained the educational maintenance...
Mark Drakeford: Deputy Presiding Officer, last week, the first annual report of this Senedd term was published. It notes the work that we've done towards delivering our well-being objectives. The programme for government of this Government was published less than six weeks after the election in May 2021. This shows our commitment to quickly tackle the challenges facing Wales and to start to implement our...
Mark Drakeford: I thank the Member for that, Llywydd, and acknowledge the work that was done by the previous Conservative administration of Monmouth council, which brought forward three possible solutions to the acknowledged difficulties that are faced in parts of Chepstow. The current county council have split those three potential solutions and are currently consulting on the first two—an active travel...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, studies in Chepstow and the surrounding area have been undertaken, and consideration is being given by Monmouthshire council to sustainable transport opportunities. The forthcoming clean air Bill will include proposals to improve air quality across Wales, including the Monmouth constituency.
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, we were glad to have the report, of course, having commissioned it, and we will want to consider very carefully its recommendations. There's to be an orthopaedic summit in August that the Minister will lead, and that will bring people, not just from the Welsh Government, but from the wider clinical community, around the table to consider the recommendations and to draw up a...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, the national orthopaedic board has undertaken a review of the orthopaedic services across Wales. The board has used the information from this review to propose a blueprint for the future of orthopaedic services. The strategy and the blueprint were circulated widely last week.
Mark Drakeford: Well, I have not heard that, Llywydd. I do acknowledge the fact that, in the past, there have been problems that have arisen, but now we have a new system in place and senior officials in the NHS in Wales and across the border in England come together. They met last Friday, and they work through any problems, down to the level of individuals, if problems do arise. I had some feedback from...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, patient flows between north Wales and England are managed between the health bodies on either side of the border. The principles for providing cross-border health care provision are set out in the cross-border statement of values and principles agreed between the NHS in Wales and the NHS in England.
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, there are 10 different strands in the package of measures that we announced together on 4 July, and those are measures that we will be taking forward with the urgency that is required in order to make a difference in rebalancing, as I said, the short and long-term rented sectors. I'm concerned at what the Member has said this afternoon, and I'll be interested to know if there's...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, we are ensuring that there are strong mechanisms for the long-term and short-term rental sectors. The measures include introducing a statutory licensing scheme for all holiday lets and ensuring that business rate relief is focused on those holiday properties that are rented for the majority of the year.
Mark Drakeford: I thank the Member for those questions, Llywydd. We are indeed proposing measures to limit the impact on smaller businesses, and that does include the annual registration fee. We will look at mandatory labelling requirements, we will look at how online take-back obligations might be designed to see whether that can mitigate some of the impacts on the firms, but the principle is...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, our aim has been to develop the scheme as a partnership with the UK and Northern Ireland Governments. The absence of an Executive in Northern Ireland and the turmoil in Westminster are both affecting the timetable for publication of the final scheme design. That now seems likely to be further delayed into the autumn.
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, I think I said in my last answer that we already have, through Business Wales, which is a Welsh Government-funded source of impartial advice to businesses here in Wales, specialist resource efficiency advisers. They already do the things that the Member has pointed to happening elsewhere. We don't need to reinvent things when we're already doing them. And the availability of...
Mark Drakeford: I thank Hefin David for that question. I'm aware of the company that he mentioned and the work that they do. Companies like that, Llywydd, faced with the astonishing rise in energy prices, will be following what is going on in Westminster very carefully and I'm sure that their anxiety will be growing as the contest to reduce the amount of resource available to help companies and the whole of...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, I had very deliberately not referred to the Member for Ynys Môn's own plans to be part of a brain drain. So—[Laughter.] Just to be sure; I had made sure that I didn't do that. Businesses in Wales are facing extremely high energy prices, which, unlike domestic bills, are not capped. The Minister for Economy met with the Wales business council earlier today to discuss these matters....
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, I'll try to be consensual as well, because, of course, I completely agree with him that selling Wales as a low-wage economy was a failed policy of the Thatcher era, and we don't look to recreate that today. The Cardiff capital region actually produced a list of cities where graduate salaries are different—places where Wales offers more than some cities and places where...
