Nick Ramsay: I will withdraw, then.
Nick Ramsay: Diolch. As I said in opening this group, group 2, and moving this amendment, this amendment is actually a compromise on the original amendment tabled at Stage 2, a point recognised by the Cabinet Secretary, and merely seeks to clarify definitions and ensure that Welsh Government legislation does not clash with UK legislation. The issues that the Cabinet Secretary has put forward today are...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I’m pleased to speak to the lead amendment and to move the lead amendment of group 2 on the definition of intent. We’ve tabled this amendment—section 6, page 3, line 29, if you want the exact details—saying that after ‘waste’ we should insert ‘and the definition of intent’, as it provides for the flexibility to revisit the issue of intent....
Nick Ramsay: Can I firstly, Cabinet Secretary, welcome the introduction of Stage 3 of the Landfill Disposals Tax (Wales) Bill? We’ve spent a long time talking about how historic the introduction of LTT was as the first Welsh tax in so many hundreds of years, and this is clearly also historic—the second, and I suppose the Buzz Aldrin to the Neil Armstrong, if you were looking for a space analogy, which...
Nick Ramsay: Cabinet Secretary, thank you for your statement today, and the speed with which you brought it forward. Our thoughts and prayers are, of course, with the victims and their families of the terrible fire that consumed the Grenfell Tower in west London last week. The images were truly horrific and will live with many people for the rest of their lives. We need to ensure that nothing similar...
Nick Ramsay: First Minister, I’m happy to be vocal in favour of the devolution of air passenger duty to this Assembly. I’m sorry if you haven’t quite heard our calls on that over the last few weeks and months, but, certainly, that is our position. Nathan Gill, in his question, was right to refer to tax devolution as the next big development in devolution within Wales—indeed, in the devolved parts...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I thank the Cabinet Secretary for bringing forward this statement today and for advance sight, indeed, of the tax policy framework document. Rest assured I will try to steer clear of any dog-eat-dog, neo-liberal comments—not usually my style, but I suppose there’s always a first time—but, in the case of this document, there was a lot here that we can...
Nick Ramsay: Can I firstly concur with the earlier comments, made by the Member for Carmarthen east, on the Circuit of Wales? We are going to be looking at this on the Public Accounts Committee later this month, so, clearly, as Chair of that, I will be holding back on my views until then. However, it would be appropriate, I think, for us to have a decision in the wake of our committee deliberations as...
Nick Ramsay: Will the First Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government's policies for supporting farming?
Nick Ramsay: Thank you. I appreciate fully that it’s the initial responsibility of the Member in charge, but you do, Cabinet Secretary, have an overall responsibility for the financial robustness of the Welsh Government—no easy task, I appreciate. And I do appreciate that the whole process with the regulatory impact assessments is a developing process, and I’m sure that the review being carried out...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. I agree totally with the decision yesterday to delay or postpone the financial agreement of this Assembly to that Bill. In asking the question today, I’m in no way blaming you for some of the problems we’ve had around the costings for legislation; I’m purely asking you because, with your role as Cabinet Secretary for finance, you do have an overall view of...
Nick Ramsay: Cabinet Secretary, yesterday, the Welsh Government didn’t move the motion to agree the financial resolution in respect of the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill—the first time, I believe, that this has happened, although there have been issues with previous costings for legislation. As Cabinet Secretary for finance, are you concerned that the costings associated...
Nick Ramsay: Just to help you out with the geography of Monmouthshire here, there are some major solar farm developments—one just outside Llanvapley and one not far from Llancayo. Would you agree with me that, as good as those development are, it’s important that the local communities get the necessary benefits from those developments? Because in some cases, those communities haven’t been fully...
Nick Ramsay: I’m pleased to support this motion, and in my contribution I’d like to focus on the first part of the Welsh Conservative motion relating to the Severn crossings. The Prime Minister’s commitment to scrap tolls on the Severn crossings is potentially a game changer for the Welsh economy, delivering, as Dai Lloyd referred to, a £100 million boost, potentially. It’s also a very exciting...
Nick Ramsay: Not that one. I think we can share that.
Nick Ramsay: First Minister, 60 years ago I would’ve been able to travel from my village of Raglan in Monmouthshire by rail to Cardiff. That can’t be done now, because obviously, we lost a lot of the branch line rail network back in the 1950s and 1960s. You’ve mentioned the need to make sure that the metro is expandable and that it reaches areas of south Wales and the south-east Wales city region...
Nick Ramsay: Will the First Minister make a statement on his economic priorities for south-east Wales?
Nick Ramsay: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the Welsh Government's policies for improving nutrition in Welsh hospitals?
Nick Ramsay: Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on his priorities for the NHS in south-east Wales?
Nick Ramsay: Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on his policies for boosting economic growth in south-east Wales?
