Peter Fox: Back in 2010, the Welsh Government's 'Food for Wales' strategy, which I know the Llywydd will know rather well, made welcome progress in establishing a more holistic approach to food policy. But it lacked systems of targets and data collection to measure what progress was made. After this, successive strategies, such as the 2014 action plan and the 2021 vision for the food and drink industry,...
Peter Fox: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. May I first of all remind Members of my declaration of interest as a farmer? It is an absolute pleasure to introduce the Food (Wales) Bill to the Chamber this afternoon—the first Member Bill of the sixth Senedd. Around 13 months ago, I was given the opportunity by you all to present an outline of the Bill, based on the principle that we need to get more locally...
Peter Fox: How is the Minister working with the Minister for Climate Change to help businesses reduce their carbon emissions?
Peter Fox: But what we need to see from the Welsh Government is a budget of delivery, because the current difficulties cannot be used as an excuse for not addressing the structural issues that we face here in Wales. What people's priorities are, and what my priorities are, include unblocking the social care system, tackling waiting times within the Welsh NHS, investing in councils and public services...
Peter Fox: Can I thank you, Minister, for your statement, as well as thanking you and your officials for meeting with me earlier to discuss the budget proposals? I thought it was very helpful, and I hope that the Minister and I can continue to work together through the budget process, particularly to consider some of the additional things that we on this side may wish to see included in the final budget...
Peter Fox: Diolch, Llywydd, and thank you to everybody who has contributed today. Can I thank Sam for introducing the debate? Presiding Officer, we've discussed the Welsh Government's changes to non-domestic rates for self-catering accommodation in detail in this Senedd, as the Minister pointed out. We've heard the concerns of businesses about the impact that the new threshold will have on self-catering...
Peter Fox: Thank you, Minister, for that response, and I welcome the range of support that is being provided by Welsh Government, aimed at tackling poverty in our communities. I recognise that tackling poverty is a difficult task, but the recent report from the Auditor General for Wales highlights some important areas that the Government and local authorities can improve upon to help increase the...
Peter Fox: 1. What action is the Welsh Government taking to tackle poverty in Monmouth? OQ58833
Peter Fox: Can I thank you, Natasha, for bringing this debate forward and allowing me a minute of your time? I'm sure every Member in this Chamber will welcome the action taken by the Government to create a safety net for children with its Online Safety Bill. With internet usage and social media use by children vastly increasing, it's right that we are making the internet a safer place for them. It's...
Peter Fox: All I'm saying is that there are two parties here who believe that the quantum is different, yet we haven't had the evidence to demonstrate one way or another. I'm reciprocating what the Chairman has said. The real Peter Fox is stood behind you, and he'll tell you as he sees it. Instead, let's focus on what really matters the most, and what the committee report is actually about, and that is...
Peter Fox: Yes, certainly, Alun.
Peter Fox: Can I welcome the opportunity to take part in the debate today as a member of the Finance Committee, and can I thank the Chairman for capturing so eloquently the position we found? Of course, leaving the EU was always going to present challenges, particularly when such funding had become entrenched within communities over a period of time, but I also believe that it presented us with an...
Peter Fox: Thank you, Minister, for that response. The poultry sector in Wales and beyond is currently experiencing a range of challenges, with the effects of the avian flu outbreak combining with increases in input costs to create a difficult outlook for producers. Constrained supply, partly as a result of avian flu measures and higher demand at this time of year, has meant that egg availability is...
Peter Fox: Thank you, Minister, but the system isn't working, because it's allowing councils to continue to rise council tax whilst at the same time growing reserves in some cases. Your predecessor Leighton Andrews saw this and produced a guide for councils in 2016 to help them understand and better scrutinise reserves and how they may be used. Minister, will you consider reviewing earmarked reserves...
Peter Fox: I think I'm fine.
Peter Fox: Thank you for that, Minister, and I concur with Huw Irranca-Davies. I chaired, or hosted a meeting for Members to join local authority leaders, and, sadly, I was the only one who turned up, even though we had 10 south-east Wales leaders on the call sharing the scale of their issues. And the scale of the challenge is huge, and the financial outlook is challenging. But some councils are far...
Peter Fox: Thank you, Presiding Officer, and good afternoon, Minister. I've got a feeling I know what the answer to my first question will be. Over the last few weeks, Minister, we've spoken a lot about the challenging fiscal environment, as well as the UK Government's response to this in its autumn statement, which, of course, provided a welcome injection of additional funding to the Welsh Government,...
Peter Fox: 7. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact of the current avian flu outbreak on egg producers in Wales? OQ58789
Peter Fox: Diolch, Llywydd. I'm pleased to contribute to this debate today on behalf of the Finance Committee. We have made 11 recommendations in total, but given the time available, I will focus on our main concerns. Whilst we are supportive of the aim of the Bill, a key concern for us was the lack of data and the number of unknown costs contained in the regulatory impact assessment. This consequently...
Peter Fox: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. And can I thank the commissioner for his statement? I would just like to clarify that, whilst I'm responding to this in my position as the shadow Minister for finance, I am, of course, also a member of the Finance Committee. I welcome the commissioner's overall approach to setting this budget. I think he's been constructive, and has engaged well with the...
