Mark Drakeford: I thank Nick Ramsay for his opening remarks and for agreeing to meet me to share some information about the challenges that we are currently facing. He’s absolutely right to say that those are shaped by the post-referendum landscape. I have had a discussion already with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. We agreed in that telephone conversation that we would meet before the summer recess,...
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, my understanding is that Baroness Altmann has agreed to meet with the WASPI campaign following the demonstration today. She’s on record as saying that she had been gagged by her previous Secretary of State, Iain Duncan Smith, on this issue and I know that the women who will meet her today will be looking forward to seeing her without that impediment. In the meantime, we will...
Mark Drakeford: Well, those who are campaigning on this issue, Llywydd, are not objecting to gradual equalisation on an incremental basis; what they are campaigning about is the directly discriminatory way in which a group of women born between 1950 and 1953 have been adversely affected by twice having their state pension rate raised and without adequate information and notice. That campaign is about trying...
Mark Drakeford: I thank the Member for drawing attention to the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign, who have a major demonstration today and who’ve been so effective in drawing attention to this issue. Lesley Griffiths, who held equality responsibilities in the last Assembly term, wrote to Baroness Altmann, then Minister for State for Pensions, in February of this year, expressing the Welsh...
Mark Drakeford: I thank the Member for that question. The Welsh Government remains concerned that the impact of the pensions Acts of 1995 and 2011 will disproportionately affect a number of women who have had their state pension age raised significantly without effective or sufficient notification. We will continue to raise these concerns with UK Ministers, who remain responsible for these matters.
Mark Drakeford: Well, the Member asks a very important question, which places our decision to repeal—to ask the National Assembly to repeal—aspects of the Trade Union Act in that very important context. The case for continuing EU membership was predicated on the social protections that membership of the European Union provided to working people. Without those protections, and with the UK Government in...
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, we have to act within the boundaries of our devolved competence. As well as wishing to repeal aspects of the Trade Union Act because of its effect on industrial relationships and our partnership approach, as the First Minister said yesterday, our opposition to them is based on our belief that they trespass into the devolved responsibilities of this National Assembly, and...
Mark Drakeford: Well, the Member is absolutely right in saying that the reason why we are opposed to these aspects of the Trade Union Act is because we think they will make things worse, in terms of industrial relations in Welsh public services, and not better. And the partnership approach that we have had in Wales means that, while strikes across our border have gone on in the fire service, amongst nurses,...
Mark Drakeford: Plans to repeal aspects of the Trade Union Act were included in the First Minister’s legislative programme statement made yesterday, and this will be brought forward during the first year of this Assembly term.
Mark Drakeford: We expect Network Rail and the UK Government to honour their commitments to delivering electrification of the London-to-Swansea main line. Electrification of the main line will be a massive step forward in creating a modern train service that is capable of meeting future demand and supporting economic growth across Wales.
Mark Drakeford: Our tourism strategy sets out our priorities to support the tourism industry. Mid Wales offers a range of heritage, landscapes, activities and tourism destinations, which are promoted and marketed through our Visit Wales website.
Mark Drakeford: We have recognised British Sign Language as a language in its own right. Our Wales-specific equality duties help us promote the language to service providers, who have a responsibility to ensure they provide access to services in accessible formats for everyone who needs them.
Mark Drakeford: The Welsh Government is keen to ensure there are many opportunities for people to access our great outdoors. Full consideration will be given to the range of issues raised by the recent review before making a decision on the way forward.
Mark Drakeford: We expect the Welsh ambulance service to work with partners to deliver sufficient emergency ambulance cover to ensure all patients who require an emergency response do so in a time commensurate to their clinical need.
Mark Drakeford: The vision for local museums in Wales was set out in the expert review published last year. We are working with the Welsh Local Government Association to take this forward and develop a robust museum network delivering for local communities. Swansea will be included in those discussions.
Mark Drakeford: Diolch yn fawr, Lywydd. I’m very glad that I’ve had the chance to stay and hear this short debate. I thought Julie Morgan’s contribution was absolutely characteristically thoughtful about the issues and committed to finding answers for people who need them most of all. She began by talking about the life of Jo Cox, and I don’t think there’s anything I could say that would add to the...
Mark Drakeford: Well, that’s an extremely good point that the Member makes. It plays into, I think, the third part of the proposition that we’re invited to sign up to this afternoon: that, somehow, we would be more prosperous if we were to leave the European Union; that we would be more prosperous without the 500 companies from other EU countries that have operations in Wales, providing more than 57,000...
Mark Drakeford: Diolch yn fawr, Lywydd. Well, there’s a motion before the National Assembly this afternoon that sets out three tests for a decision to take Wales out of the European Union, and, as has been undoubtedly demonstrated over the last hour, the motion fails on each one of those tests that they would have us accept. Wales would neither be stronger, safer and certainly not more prosperous if we...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, I’m very alert to the corrosive effect that uncertainty produces for those who work in local authorities and those who put themselves forward for election. I will publish a written statement tomorrow. I wanted to wait until I’d heard what people had said today before finalising that statement, but I’m happy to confirm, in direct answer to Andrew Davies’s question, that that...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, I was very glad to meet the leader and chief executive of Monmouthshire County Council 10 days ago. It was a very constructive meeting. They have a series of interesting ideas, which they’ve promised to provide further information to me about. I was very pleased to accept their invitation to visit Monmouthshire again to see some of the practical work they’re doing around...
