Peredur Owen Griffiths: Thank you for this afternoon's statement, and for the report you published today too.
Peredur Owen Griffiths: As we will discuss in the Plaid debate tomorrow, the fair work agenda needs to have a central role in shaping Wales's future industrial and economic strategy. In response to the draconian strikes Bill making its way through Westminster, it is vital for us in Wales to define clear principles related to fair work. This will protect future generations from the alarming legislation we are seeing...
Peredur Owen Griffiths: Diolch yn fawr, Prif Weinidog. The recent news that road projects in Wales would not be funded was a bitter pill to swallow for some. It would have been a bit easier to understand if it had not been accompanied by the announcement a day later that the bus emergency scheme is going to be phased out in June. For many of the communities I represent, the bus service is a lifeline. For older...
Peredur Owen Griffiths: 6. Beth mae'r Llywodraeth yn ei wneud i hyrwyddo teithio cynaliadwy yn Nwyrain De Cymru? OQ59163
Peredur Owen Griffiths: Thank you for that response.
Peredur Owen Griffiths: Most people who have been food shopping in recent months will have noticed a shortage of eggs. Some producers, faced with rising costs and supermarkets that refuse to reflect this in their contracts, are leaving the industry if they can. This was made clear to me by an egg producer in my region during a recent meeting. They told me in no uncertain terms that the egg sector is in deep trouble....
Peredur Owen Griffiths: 4. What is the Minister doing to support the egg industry in South Wales East? OQ59130
Peredur Owen Griffiths: What discussions has the Minister had with the Minister for Climate Change about ensuring enough money is available to local authorities to mitigate the effects of adverse weather?
Peredur Owen Griffiths: That's not an excuse, but I said 'all the parties that subscribed to austerity', which we didn't. The deterioration in policing levels over the past decade was brought up during a recent street surgery last Friday in Pontlottyn. People had noticed what the Tories, backed by the others in Westminster, have done to community policing. This settlement will make for further grim reading for each...
Peredur Owen Griffiths: Austerity has delivered a devastating impact on policing in the UK. The brutal cuts to public spending, masked by the term 'austerity', may have been the brainchild of the Tory party, but they are also a stain on other Westminster parties, as it was backed by the Liberal Democrats in coalition Government, and subscribed to by the Labour Party in opposition. The initial wave of Tory-driven...
Peredur Owen Griffiths: I've only just started.
Peredur Owen Griffiths: The initial wave of Tory-driven austerity led to 400 police officers and 100 community support officers being lost from the ranks of the south Wales police force alone. Despite the recent investments, staffing levels at this force remain well below the numbers it had in 2010. Mark.
Peredur Owen Griffiths: Llywydd, I am conscious of time, but I would like to raise an important issue relating to the consideration of financial resolution motions. Whilst acknowledging that the Minister has responded prior to today’s debate, this is not standard practice. Usually, responses are issued after the Stage 1 debate, with the financial resolution considered immediately after the Stage 1 motion has been...
Peredur Owen Griffiths: In particular, we have a significant concern regarding the lack of available financial information relating to the future sustainable land management scheme that will be introduced by this Bill, which is not yet finalised. This is the most significant cost arising from the Bill and assumes that Welsh Government's annual payments to farmers will be £278 million, under the future SLM scheme....
Peredur Owen Griffiths: Thank you, Llywydd, and I'm pleased to contribute to this debate as Chair of the Finance Committee, and I'm delighted to thank the Minister for giving evidence and the clerking team and Members for their work. I'm sure that the Minister is pleased that we didn't make as many recommendations as some other committees; we made 10 recommendations in total. So, I thank the Minister for providing a...
Peredur Owen Griffiths: Lastly, I would like to make a point about the time given to scrutinise the draft budget. Although we accept that the Welsh Government has no control over the timing of UK Government fiscal events, we are concerned that the timetable for scrutiny of this draft budget was truncated for the fourth consecutive year. This is not fair on Members of the Senedd, stakeholders, or the public at large,...
Peredur Owen Griffiths: First of all, the committee felt that there was a lack of clarity and candour regarding the Welsh Government's plans, particularly in terms of identifying where decisions have been made in the draft budget to halt, postpone or reduce funding. As a result, we have made a raft of recommendations calling for greater clarity in the information provided alongside the draft budget. This includes...
Peredur Owen Griffiths: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. It's a pleasure to contribute to this important debate on the Welsh Government’s draft budget for 2023-24. Before I turn to specific areas within the report, I would like to say that the committee fully recognises the difficulties faced by the Welsh Government in preparing its budgetary proposals. Inflationary pressures, rising energy costs and an increase in the...
Peredur Owen Griffiths: Diolch yn fawr and I welcome that answer. I recently met with the enforcement conduct board and we discussed the unfair charges that are applied to many people struggling to pay off a debt. I was given an example of a woman who lives in social housing in Newport and receives universal credit and personal independence payments. She was subject to a High Court enforcement case on behalf of a...
Peredur Owen Griffiths: 8. How is the Government planning to help the most vulnerable households in South Wales East with the cost-of-living crisis? OQ59106
