Mike Hedges: First of all, can I thank Suzy Davies for giving me a minute in this debate? I want to make two interrelated points. The first is that we need bus-rail interchanges at all rail stations, and the buses need to come and leave at the right times. Far too often, the buses go at a different time to the trains, and that means that it becomes less convenient to use a bus to get to the railway...
Mike Hedges: Will you take an intervention?
Mike Hedges: Why do you think it's only going to cost £1.4 billion?
Mike Hedges: As always—if Russell George did have to provoke me. Powys has the fourteenth highest support per capita in Wales and its problem is population loss.
Mike Hedges: The sixth highest aggregate external finance is Denbighshire.
Mike Hedges: Yes.
Mike Hedges: Because we aren't having the money that we should be having if we had gone up in terms—[Interruption.] If we went up in terms of where we were just 10 years ago. Of course, there are those saying that merging councils will solve part of the problem. For that, I have two words—Betsi Cadwaladr—or three words—Natural Resources Wales. Further additional money—[Interruption.] Further...
Mike Hedges: Yes, certainly.
Mike Hedges: Well (1) that's untrue, and I was talking about year-on-year changes. Business rates were centralised and collected locally and then redistributed with the rate support grant as part of aggregate external finance. Now, how does the money go out? Blaenau Gwent gets £1,587 and Monmouth gets £995. Is that fair? Well, Blaenau Gwent has 8.8 per cent of its properties in band...
Mike Hedges: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Well, can I say, on a positive note, I'm very pleased to hear new people taking an interest in local government and being supportive of local government from the opposition benches? I've only been used to Siân Gwenllian and David Lloyd supporting local government over recent years—so, glad to see other people joining. Can we look—? [Interruption.]...
Mike Hedges: I welcome the budget proposals. Yes, the settlement will be difficult for the Commission to work within. I have no doubt they'll have to make some very difficult decisions. Welcome to the world of the rest of the public sector. It cannot be immune from the problems and difficulties caused by austerity as the rest of the public sector is facing. I said last year that the Commission's budget...
Mike Hedges: Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that answer? I'm someone who's long advocated an innovate-to-save scheme as a means of getting people to do something different, which can create great benefits. All of them won't succeed, because if all of them succeeded, we'd be back to invest-to-save where we do the safe. But, some of them will succeed, and some of them will make substantial savings...
Mike Hedges: Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm that the Welsh Government has the power to issue bonds to raise funding for major capital projects, such as the M4 relief road—if they decide to proceed with it—in much the same way as Transport for London had the ability to raise bonds, which they did for Crossrail?
Mike Hedges: 7. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the innovate-to-save fund? OAQ52896
Mike Hedges: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I think I will start by saying we all owe a debt of gratitude to firefighters who enter buildings when the rest of us are leaving. A huge amount of work has been done on fire prevention, and credit has been paid to you and the sprinkler system, but the huge amount that's done by the fire service in going out and putting smoke alarms in houses have...
Mike Hedges: Can I ask for two statements? Leader of the house, I, again, return to an issue that affects your constituency and mine as well as those of several of our colleagues, namely the closure of the Virgin Media call centre in Swansea. Can I ask for a statement on the support being given by the Welsh Government taskforce to those seeking alternative employment? And can I also ask for a statement on...
Mike Hedges: Will the Welsh Government legislate to ensure that all properties built or adapted for housing have to pay council tax based upon the band they're in and any second home premium charged by the local authority, or that the business rate relief for rented out properties is abolished? Because I think this is a loophole: it has to be available for 140 days; it is quite easy to make something...
Mike Hedges: Can I thank the First Minister for that answer? The cost of funding the increase in the employer teacher pension contributions follows the decision of Westminster to implement cost capping, and this will fall mainly on school budgets. Unless money comes from Westminster—and there may be money from Westminster—will the First Minister commit that any money that comes as a consequential of...
Mike Hedges: 1. Will the First Minister make a statement on funding the increase in teacher pension contributions? OAQ52895
Mike Hedges: The Cabinet Secretaries covering areas such as transportation, education and the economy can provide funding to local government to spend in the areas of their responsibility. What financial support from other Cabinet members, out of their budgets, has the Cabinet Secretary asked for to support local government, which is in desperate need?
