Nick Ramsay: Cabinet Secretary, I think your decision to issue the Heads of the Valleys Development Company with that two-week deadline two weeks ago—two weeks ago today, or two weeks yesterday—was exactly the right thing to do and I made that clear in the business statement yesterday. I also agree with you on the issue of due diligence. It’s clear now that that will play a vital role in the next...
Nick Ramsay: Leader of the house, it’s now been two weeks since the Welsh Government gave the Circuit of Wales company—. I think it was a two-week deadline, funnily enough, to provide assurances of their financial backers so that the project can move forward. I said in my debate last week on the Cardiff city region that I thought that this was a positive development for all the parties involved—a...
Nick Ramsay: First Minister, Dai Lloyd in his opening question mentioned the problems for people with disabilities at Abergavenny station. If I can focus on those, you may be aware of the work of one of my constituents, disabled access rights campaigner Dan Biddle, who’s worked tirelessly both in my area and across Wales over the last few years to try and improve disabled access. Whilst you’re right...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I’ve agreed to allow Jenny Rathbone, Hefin David and David Melding to contribute a minute each to this debate. 15 March 2016 was an historic day for Wales: the day the Cardiff capital city region deal was finally struck by the First Minister, the UK Government and representatives of the 10 participating local authorities. Since that day, local...
Nick Ramsay: I’m about to. As you can see, Members, we are a committee of robust members, and robust views, and when we agree and when we work as a team, actually, I think we’re at our best, because, believe me, the Members on the Public Accounts Committee in this Assembly really do know their own minds. I would say in terms of—. I quite agree with you about tweeting, and in fact we did have that...
Nick Ramsay: I know you have a long-standing interest in terms of looked-after children. I thought that that would come up, so I brought down some of the figures for that, and just looking through them, we intend to scrutinise the overall cost and the value for money of the range of services aimed at improving outcomes for looked-after children. But this is such a huge area that, over, I would say years,...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, Oscar, and thank you for your warm words. It’s been a pleasure working with you on the committee over the last few months as well. I don’t think that was a request for us to call Tony Blair to the Welsh Public Accounts Committee—at least I’m not taking it as such—but I take your point. The point is, as a committee, we are free to make requests to any members of the public...
Nick Ramsay: I would agree with the opening of the Member’s comments there. We are an eclectic mix on the Public Accounts Committee. I chose my words carefully there. We do have a robust exchange of views. We work together where necessary, but also individuals have their own views. You are right as well, Neil, that this is a committee with an incredibly serious workload, a huge workload, looking at the...
Nick Ramsay: Can I thank Mike Hedges for his warm words there? You are right; it does often feel like we are on a treadmill. I know that all of the committees of this Assembly have their work cut out, but I think it’s unusual for committees to change gear as much as we do, from area to area, and sometimes within the committee meeting; whether we’re looking at a health issue or looked-after children,...
Nick Ramsay: Diolch, Lywydd. Can I thank you for the opportunity to speak today and to inform my fellow Assembly Members about the work of the Public Accounts Committee? As Members will be aware, the Public Accounts Committee is responsible for considering and investigating the value-for-money reports produced by the Auditor General for Wales. To date in this Assembly, we have already undertaken a number...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. As I’m sure you’re aware, I have a short debate later today on the Cardiff capital city region deal. It won’t be you who will be responding; that will be the Cabinet Secretary for finance. In that debate, I’ll be raising the fact that it’s a deal with much potential for the future, and clearly, about growing connections between communities that will...
Nick Ramsay: 7. Will the Cabinet Secretary outline his priorities for strengthening communities in Wales? OAQ(5)0098(CC)
Nick Ramsay: Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary, and also, as Janet Finch-Saunders said earlier, for the tone that you’ve set in this statement. It’s slightly different to that of your predecessor. You appear—I don’t mean Jane Hutt; I mean your local government predecessor—slightly more to be listening. That is really to be welcomed, and I think that has come out in the tone of this...
Nick Ramsay: I’m pleased to speak on what I thought was a consensual motion—I’m not so sure now, having listened to Neil McEvoy’s comments, but, hopefully, all parties in this Chamber can come together around certain key tenets of this motion. This has been an historic week, after all: the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of Milton Keynes new town—a brave new world of freedom, or the...
Nick Ramsay: What actions is the Cabinet Secretary taking to support small businesses in Monmouthshire?
Nick Ramsay: First Minister, this morning I attended the annual Farmers Union of Wales’s farmers breakfast in the Pierhead building, hosted by Paul Davies—an excellent event, as ever. Farmers were understandably eager for clarity on the system of farm payments to be created in the wake of the UK leaving the EU, when that eventually happens. Can you update us on your Government’s discussions with the...
Nick Ramsay: Thanks for giving way; I agree with everything you said there, Adam Price. Part of the problem is that, although the revaluation kicks in in April, a number of businesses are having to decide whether to sign their leases now, at this point in time, and, without knowing what sort of system of rate relief will be in place, what package of support will be in place for them in April, some of them...
Nick Ramsay: Diolch, Presiding Officer. Today we are calling on the Welsh Government to provide more information regarding the £10 million additional funding for business rate relief announced before Christmas. The Valuation Office Agency’s business rate revaluation will result, as we know, in businesses in some parts of Wales facing huge hikes in their rates. Let’s be clear about what that means in...
Nick Ramsay: Would the Member give way on that point?
Nick Ramsay: Thank you for giving way, Rhun. I fully understand that you have issues with this Bill. As other Members have said, it’s not perfect by any means. However, to dismiss the fiscal framework that we discussed earlier in the Cabinet Secretary’s statement as merely a positive—come on, we’ve been calling for Barnett reform for as long as I’ve been here, and for as long as you’ve been...
