Mark Drakeford: The digital industries are one of the most vibrant parts of our economy. Digital apprenticeships will provide an opportunity for the next generation to begin their digital careers. A digital competence framework will be made available from September 2016 and embedded as a cross-curricular theme.
Mark Drakeford: If the Swansea bay tidal lagoon is secured, it will create an estimated 1,900 jobs during construction with significant opportunities to develop supply chains for the wider community, including Neath, and would place Wales at the forefront of the development of a tidal range sector across the UK.
Mark Drakeford: We have regularly expressed concern about significant job losses across Trinity Wales publications in Wales. We will continue to make representations to Trinity about the developing situation with staff in north Wales. We recognise the importance of a healthy media sector as an essential component of a modern democratic society.
Mark Drakeford: We have a comprehensive programme of trade missions to help companies access opportunities across the world. Delegations have recently been to the Gulf and Canada and there are planned visits this year to global destinations, including Germany, India, Japan and the USA. This has been our consistent policy for many years and, in the most recent, years we have posted our best inward...
Mark Drakeford: I have had no such discussions.
Mark Drakeford: The road safety framework for Wales sets out the actions we and our partners will take to achieve our casualty reduction targets. The framework will be reviewed following the release of the 2016 casualty statistics.
Mark Drakeford: Thank you very much to Jenny Miles. Just to say, I was eager to appear before the Assembly before the summer with a statement, just to have an opportunity to discuss things together and provide an update to Assembly Members. On the experience in Scotland, it’s on the agenda for the meeting I have next week with the Minister from Scotland to press ahead with those discussions that we’ve...
Mark Drakeford: Thank you, Jenny Rathbone, for those questions. She’s right to begin by warning us of perversities and unintended consequences that can flow from even the best motivated policies. But I do continue to believe that the basic principle that any tier of government that expends public money should also be responsible for raising part of that money is the right one. And then we have to work hard...
Mark Drakeford: Controversial—yes, indeed. Mike Hedges is right, of course, that the purpose of raising taxes is to pay for public services. We also try our best to align taxation in a way that promotes objectives of public policy, and that’s why we have a landfill disposals tax. There is some inherent volatility in these taxes. The best estimates prior to 23 June were that they would raise around £300...
Mark Drakeford: I thank Mark Reckless for those questions. My message today about no change for change’s sake is based on the very clear message that came from stakeholders during our consultation on the land transfer tax. They were very strongly of the view that we needed a smooth transition from the existing law to the new law and that changes—and there will be changes that we will introduce—would be...
Mark Drakeford: I thank Nick Ramsay for those important questions. My starting point is the same as his. We want the system to be as understandable and simple as possible, albeit that some of these matters are inherently complex and are the province of people who are experts in the field. I believe that the journey that we are on should begin with as little difference as necessary between the system we have...
Mark Drakeford: I thank the Member for those comments, and I thank him for informing me that some things are very difficult to do here, but not quite like doing it in a state of war. Cyfres o gwestiynau pwysig iawn gan Adam Price, a’n man cychwyn ni yw'r un lle y dechreuodd yntau hefyd—sef bod atebolrwydd democrataidd yn ymwneud yn gryf â bod sefydliadau sy'n gwario arian yn gyfrifol am godi arian yn...
Mark Drakeford: Thank you, Llywydd. In 2018 the Welsh Government, at a national level, will raise its own money to spend on public services for the first time in almost 800 years. This will happen when stamp duty land tax and landfill tax are devolved. This marks an important step in our devolution journey and will be a significant change in the way in which public services are funded. My predecessor, Jane...
Mark Drakeford: The Welsh Government is working to support the farming industry in Montgomeryshire, as in all parts of Wales, to become more profitable, sustainable, resilient and professionally managed.
Mark Drakeford: Involving people and organisations in our decisions is central to how we work. Formal consultation is one way of doing that. We seek to improve continually the way that we do that.
Mark Drakeford: The business case for the investment in the specialist and critical care centre is progressing through the official Welsh Government scrutiny process.
Mark Drakeford: We are delivering a range of actions to support a stronger, fairer economy and help businesses to develop, grow and prosper. This includes business support, advice and investment in digital and transport infrastructure.
Mark Drakeford: A number of Acts passed in the fourth Assembly have already been fully implemented. For those Acts that have not yet been fully implemented, it is a matter for respective Cabinet Secretaries to consider the most appropriate way forward.
Mark Drakeford: We continue to tackle the underlying issues that create gender pay inequality, including through our public sector equality duty.
Mark Drakeford: It is now three years since the launch of ‘The Welsh Government Strategy for Tourism 2013-2020: Partnership for Growth’. This sets a target of 10 per cent growth in real terms in respect of overnight visitor expenditure in Wales by 2020. We are on track t
