Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you, Llywydd. I’m pleased, as Chair of the Finance Committee, to table our report on this Bill. I welcome the way that the Cabinet Secretary has responded to this report, and has responded this afternoon as well to the recommendations made by the committee. This is the third piece of legislation relating to the devolution of tax powers in the Wales Act 2014, and the second tax Bill to...
Mr Simon Thomas: I will take an intervention.
Mr Simon Thomas: I think that I and Mike Hedges would share a Keynesian view of the world in this regard. I would say to him that the Office for Budget Responsibility came to the Finance Committee this morning. They didn’t tell the Finance Committee this morning because it is in their report, but they said that, clearly, fiscal consolidation continues to depress GDP. In other words, austerity is damaging...
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I think we had a very good example just now of chasing the headlines and not producing any substance whatsoever. I get it that the Conservatives oppose the Labour Party. What I don’t get is any sense of what they’d do if they were in Government in Wales, or any progressive or positive ideas that they have for our economy or our society. Now,...
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you, Llywydd. At 40 years of age this year, the Dyfi Biosphere has been one of the six designated UNESCO biosphere reserves in the UK. It was renamed and extended in 2001, and by now it extends from Aberystwyth to Llanbryn-mair and from Borth to Dinas Mawddwy. It has a clear, decisive vision, namely that the Dyfi Biosphere will be recognised and respected internationally, nationally and...
Mr Simon Thomas: I thank the Commissioner for her reply, and I welcome very much the development and the response to earlier questions on this, and the fact that we will shortly have charging points for electric vehicles in the Assembly. Battery technology is not quite there for the battery that takes me from Aberystwyth to the Assembly in one go yet, but I think it’s almost there. I think it is important...
Mr Simon Thomas: I was indeed going to ask you about the impact on the block grant of the national insurance rises, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises in rural Wales, but the smell of the rubber from that particular u-turn is still fresh in my nostrils. So, let me ask, instead: one issue that wasn’t addressed in this budget that does impact on a lot of Welsh residents is that of state...
Mr Simon Thomas: 1. What steps is the Commission taking to promote travelling to the Assembly in electric vehicles? OAQ(5)0004(AC)
Mr Simon Thomas: Will you give way?
Mr Simon Thomas: I understand that point that he’s making, and I accept some premise to it, but the other side of the argument, of course, is to get some of the manufacturers and food producers and supermarkets to also rationalise how they produce their food and products to us.
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you, Llywydd, and I move the amendments. Even in discussing rubbish, I think we need facts. Generally speaking, Plaid Cymru supports the Government’s efforts to move towards zero waste. Indeed, our policy seeks to speed up that process, because we believe that we can achieve that by 2030 in Wales, and, in so doing, create jobs within the local economy and generate wealth from waste...
Mr Simon Thomas: Will the Member give way?
Mr Simon Thomas: Just on that point—and I’m very pleased to hear that the Government’s going to consider a deposit-return scheme—will he take into account, and the Minister, when she returns, take into account the fact that major companies like Coca-Cola have now dropped their opposition to a scheme like this?
Mr Simon Thomas: May I welcome the Minister’s statement this afternoon and the fact that he’s taking a fresh look at the WESPs, and wish Aled Roberts well in his work? I hope that he hasn’t been handed a hospital pass by the Minister, and I say that for one reason, namely that his predecessor, Leighton Andrews, when he was discussing these issues in the last Assembly, always talked about the possibility...
Mr Simon Thomas: Can I ask the leader of the house when she thinks the Government is likely to allow time for a debate on the annual report and accounts of Natural Resources Wales, which were laid on Friday? I don’t know how many Members have had the chance to look at this yet, but if I can inform everyone that the accounts have been qualified by the Auditor General for Wales, and qualified in a very...
Mr Simon Thomas: I agree with the original questioner’s proposition—there’s no better example of what we debated last week here of a foundational economy than investing in this area where you link in skills at a local level and you ensure that Welsh Government capital spend is spread across Wales as well, because this is not a regional problem; it’s spread across Wales in terms of the older housing...
Mr Simon Thomas: I welcome what the Cabinet Secretary has just said about regeneration in the port of Milford Haven, but I wanted to ask him in particular about other communities in Pembrokeshire that are more difficult to reach for regeneration and support. Following his decision to change—well, to withdraw—over a period of time from Communities First, I was particularly concerned as to what now could be...
Mr Simon Thomas: I’m sure, Cabinet Secretary, you share my disappointment that the budget today did not include a positive statement around the tidal lagoon. That’s something that would be extremely welcome here in Wales. What further steps can she take now to press the UK Government to come forward with a positive decision on the tidal lagoon? Also, bearing in mind, for example, that we had a very good...
Mr Simon Thomas: I hope that those discussions do lead to a little more joined-up thinking on that Bill, and, of course, the whole Assembly will get the opportunity to amend it, if necessary. But can I also return to the issue of Aberthaw power station, on which, when I last questioned you and the First Minister on this, I was told that Natural Resources Wales had now contacted the owners of Aberthaw and had...
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you for that response. I am pleased to hear that you are putting this at the top of your list of priorities, because there is nothing more prominent in your own portfolio that also has an impact on the daily lives of so many of us living in areas where air pollution is a problem. You’ve mentioned that this needs to be done across Government. The Public Health (Wales) Bill is currently...
