Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, Wales has the most generous form of student support anywhere in the United Kingdom, and I didn't hear any recognition of that in what the Member just had to say. Of course the current crisis in the cost of living affects young people and people in universities, as well as anybody else, and the Welsh Government takes a series of measures in the field of mental health, for...
Mark Drakeford: Thank you for that question, of course, and I have seen the census results that have been published. There is a lot more information to draw out of those figures over the coming months. One of the reasons why I and Adam Price stood together in a press conference last week to set out the plan that we have on homes for people in rural areas was to try and create possibilities for the future for...
Mark Drakeford: Let me just tell the Member again: if he hasn’t had the chance to read it because he’s been too busy reading manifestos of people seeking to lead his party, we can supply him with a copy. It sets out a year-by-year sequence of ways in which waiting times in Wales will be addressed to the same timetable as his party has set for England. That’s our ambition and we wish we could do more...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, it was the leader of the opposition who opened his first question by referring to waiting times in England, not me; he was the person who introduced that in his original question. And I’ll tell him this: if you want to ask people outside this Chamber whether they would prefer to be living under a Labour Government here in Wales or the shambles of his party in England, he’ll get...
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, it doesn't just go in one direction, as I explained in my original answer, and the plan is already there and published. It's published by the health Minister, showing milestones over the period ahead as to how we will reduce those waiting times, and our map matches the ambitions that have been set for England as well. The NHS in all parts of the United Kingdom has had a torrid...
Mark Drakeford: I thank the leader of the opposition. I'll offer you a brief explanation of my tie, which is that it is a tie knitted for me by a very elderly lady who came to this country immediately after the second world war as a refugee from Ukraine. This knot is a Ukranian design that she knitted and sent in recognition of the work that, right across Wales, is going on to welcome people from Ukraine, as...
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, I very much agree with all parts of Joyce Watson's supplementary question. I entirely agree myself that the major contributor to Wales's energy future should be renewable energy and making use of all the fantastic natural resources that Wales has at our disposal. And it was disappointing, earlier this month, when the UK Government announced the outcome of its Contracts for...
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, I too am glad that work is going ahead to try to make use of the Trawsfynydd site, and to exploit new technologies that may be useful to us in the future. None of that is to set to one side the important points that Mabon ap Gwynfor raised about the legacy of nuclear waste and making sure that, as we plan for the future, we take all of that properly into account. Small nuclear...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, the points that the Member raised are important. Of course, any possibilities for the future for the nuclear power industry will have to deal with the problems that arise with nuclear waste. But that isn't going to be a new problem for Trawsfynydd, is it? We've had a nuclear industry in Trawsfynydd for many years, so that problem has arisen previously—we're not creating a new...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, Cwmni Egino has been established to redevelop the former Trawsfynydd power station site. As stipulated in the company's remit letter, the requirements of the well-being of future generations Act will be integral to its assessment of all potential projects.
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, I thank the Member for that, and he'll be pleased to know that there are a range of specialist advisers and mentors operating within the Cynon Valley, exactly to do what Joel James has said, to help those people facing complex barriers to getting into work, to navigate their way from where they are today to the jobs that are there for them in the future. The careers service is...
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, we will bring forward the Welsh Government's net-zero skills plan later this year. In doing that, we will be working closely with the Cardiff capital region and its regional skills partnership to make sure that we have as close a sense as possible of exactly the sort of skills that Vikki Howells refers to, and the need that exists for those skills in the Cynon Valley in...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, I thank Vikki Howells for that question. In September, we will extend the most generous childcare offer in the United Kingdom to those in education and training. That will support more women in the Cynon Valley in particular to access work, alongside all the other labour market interventions of the Welsh Government.
Mark Drakeford: Bangor is one of four key north Wales locations prioritised for funding from the Transforming Towns fund. The Deputy Minister for Climate Change recently visited Bangor to continue discussions with stakeholders about co-ordinated regeneration plans for the city and the development of a formal collaboration agreement.
Mark Drakeford: Our Net Zero Wales plan set out the actions for industry and business to support a quicker transition to renewable energy and better energy efficiency practices. We also continue to directly support business through our Business Wales service and delivery teams.
Mark Drakeford: We are committing significant investment to mitigate the impact of the cost-of-living crisis. More than 32,556 payments of £200 have been made to households in north Wales under our winter fuel support scheme, and more than £26,518,800 in cost-of-living payments have been allocated to 176,747 households.
Mark Drakeford: The Minister for Economy will lead on our preparations for the World Cup and our four objectives: to promote Wales; project our values; fan safety and welcome for all; and delivering legacy. We are working with partners in the UK, Qatar and elsewhere to maximise this opportunity to promote Wales.
Mark Drakeford: Well, there is a whole series of areas, Llywydd, on which we will work with the UK Government—sometimes because we choose to do so, sometimes because they put forward proposals in which they seek to legislate in areas that ought to be the province of Members here. Now, the internet safety Bill—I hope I've got that title correct—is an example of a Bill where we believe that there are...
Mark Drakeford: Well, Dirprwy Lywydd, as I've explained, when you create a legislative programme, you have choices to make. We have chosen to bring forward the Bill, as the Member mentioned. That's not in the next year, but the Bill is on its way.
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, I've heard the demise of the Welsh tourism industry predicted by Welsh Conservatives for the last 20 years. They do the sector no favours at all by the way in which they constantly talk it down. It is a very resilient sector, it is a very successful sector, and part of that is the very considerable support that it already receives from the Welsh Government, and that goes far...
