Nick Ramsay: 4. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on feedback received from local government following the publication of the Strengthening Local Government, Delivering for People green paper? OAQ52115
Nick Ramsay: The report concluded that indicative figures show that public bodies in Wales spent £234 million through NPS frameworks and contracts in 2016-17, £222 million of which related to member organisations. However, public bodies are not using NPS frameworks as much as anticipated, resulting in concerns over its funding, less than anticipated savings—£14.8 million reported for 2016-17—and...
Nick Ramsay: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm pleased to share with you all today details of the work undertaken to date by the Public Accounts Committee in relation to public procurement in Wales. The committee agreed to undertake an inquiry, following the publication of the Auditor General for Wales's report on the National Procurement Service—the NPS—on 30 November 2017. This report followed on from a...
Nick Ramsay: Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his statement this afternoon? I think we all recognise that we do remain in a time of public spending constraints. We certainly in the Welsh Conservatives welcome proposals to invest in our economy and public services, despite those obvious challenges. Can I just say in responding at the start to your statement, Cabinet Secretary—? On your point about...
Nick Ramsay: I think I'm out of time—sorry, Mike. It doesn't work. Now, do what you said you wanted to do originally—go back to the drawing board. If you have written these proposals on the back of a fag packet, I might try to FOI that fag packet, actually, because it does sound quite interesting to see it written somewhere. But, for goodness' sake, let's get on with the job of modernising public...
Nick Ramsay: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Can I just put on the record at the start of my contribution that I don't lie awake at three in the morning either thinking, or sleeping and dreaming, about the Cabinet Secretary's plans for local government in Wales, despite rumours that might have gone around after the last statement you gave on this subject, Alun Davies, when I said I'd be more than happy to live...
Nick Ramsay: Thanks for giving way, Mike Hedges. I don't disagree with a word you've said so far. Will you undertake to abandon these plans when you become Cabinet Secretary for local government? [Laughter.]
Nick Ramsay: Formally.
Nick Ramsay: I'm pleased to move amendment 1A—David Melding's insurance policy, as he put it. We would rather, in the Welsh Conservatives, that the other amendments in the group be passed instead, but as David Melding said in his comments, should that not happen, then we do believe that there is a case to at least make sure that residents are consulted specifically in relation to that change between a...
Nick Ramsay: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Can I concur with the comments made earlier by Darren Millar regarding the one-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary of the Baptist Union of Wales? I also attended that event, as did many other Assembly Members. It was very successful and we send them our best. At the same time, I had my own event upstairs in the Oriel for Love Zimbabwe. Leader of the house, we are now...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, First Minister. The decision of Aneurin Bevan Local Health Board to close the St Pierre dementia ward at Chepstow Community Hospital has been roundly criticised by dementia sufferers and their families alike in my constituency. It now appears that the decision could face a legal challenge from Monmouthshire County Council as it seems there is a strong case for a judicial review,...
Nick Ramsay: 1. Will the First Minister make a statement on the provision of dementia services in south-east Wales? OAQ52037
Nick Ramsay: I will shortly. To get the UK Government to review the situation.
Nick Ramsay: Yes. As I said earlier, Rhianon, like other AMs, I've had approaches from WASPI women constituents and I've been happy to say to the UK Government, 'Look, this doesn't look like it's worked out particularly well and I think you should look again at this.' Like all of us here, I'm not in the UK Government. I am here as a Welsh Assembly Member, so as the Welsh Government don't have a direct...
Nick Ramsay: I welcome the fact that UKIP have brought this debate to the Chamber this afternoon, and I must say it's difficult to add to Caroline Jones's opening passionate and excellent contribution, which covered so many different areas and aspects, not only of how we got into this position, but also the real suffering that some women are going through in this position. Also, you quoted your own...
Nick Ramsay: To be fair to the Cabinet Secretary, you're right, it is early days, I fully accept that, and we must obviously look at evidence. We'd want an evidence-based approach to this, and I also would accept that I've identified and spoken at length about one tax, but that is just one tax of an overall package, and in the economy there are different levers, and this may well just be one aspect of...
Nick Ramsay: Cabinet Secretary, you are an open-minded person, and it's interesting that your tone today is different to before the devolution of tax. You did say previously—you asked a rhetorical question and you answered it previously: 'Do I think that the marginal additional sum in LTT will be the determining factor in business deals...? No, I don't.' I gather from your answer today that whilst you...
Nick Ramsay: Diolch, Llywydd. Can I just say that I've spied my former colleague on the Finance Committee, Peter Black, up in the gallery? It took me back to the last Assembly election, when we were looking forward to tax devolution as a distant, although approaching, inevitability. We are now the other side of that devolution. You said, in answer to Mark Reckless earlier, in relation to land transaction...
Nick Ramsay: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the allocation of funding to the education portfolio?
Nick Ramsay: Stereo—I think we're picking up Radio Wales over there, aren't we, Simon? [Laughter.] Two things, if I may, Presiding Officer. First of all, earlier, Darren Millar asked the leader of the house about the problem with the withdrawal of camouflage services for those suffering from skin conditions. I thought it was a good opportunity to advertise the cross-party group on skin, which is taking...
