Mark Reckless: I’m grateful to the Cabinet Secretary and support the city deal, as we don’t believe that devolution should stop at Cardiff Bay. Can I ask, where there’s the prospect of any contribution from the UK Government in any discussions over city deals, whether there is a risk that with the fiscal framework and the otherwise useful funding floor that that might mean that any contribution from...
Mark Reckless: And Members can see that clear statement, as can members of the Welsh public, at paragraph 14 of that document. But the Cabinet Secretary says to me that I’ve misunderstood the whole process, and, yes, I’ve come to this with fresh eyes. And, perhaps because of that, I had to put a certain reliance on public documents and assurances given by the Welsh Government to the Welsh people. One of...
Mark Reckless: I’m not sure if David Gauke, the UK Minister, would be particularly impressed to hear the Cabinet Secretary’s answer, because he, like you, has put his signature to a statement that says that the Welsh Government’s funding will ultimately comprise’ and then lists a series of elements, which include Welsh rates of income tax. There’s no reference to contingency or different...
Mark Reckless: The Cabinet Secretary said this morning that it was not a foregone conclusion that there’d be devolution of income tax-raising powers and that his group would be weighing it up over the weekend and only deciding on the legislative consent motion on Monday. I wonder if he could help me resolve an apparent discrepancy between that statement and the fiscal framework that he has signed on...
Mark Reckless: 7. Will the Cabinet Secretary outline what the Welsh Government expects to contribute towards City Deals? OAQ(5)0067(FLG)
Mark Reckless: Will the Cabinet Secretary give way?
Mark Reckless: I’m grateful. I would like to clarify that we’re all against tax avoidance, but just sceptical of fiddly changes to legislation that may lead to greater bureaucratic and legal uncertainty, and we should avoid that. But I think actually that he has largely put my mind to rest in terms of what he’s doing and there’s significant consolidation and the regime is likely to be sensible.
Mark Reckless: I think it’s safe to say that my party doesn’t approach the devolution of the first tax in Wales for 800 years with the same enthusiasm or excitement as perhaps some Members, particularly on the Plaid side of the Chamber, but we do respect those who do see and emphasise that significance. On our own journey in this direction, we opposed the measure of devolution that went to a referendum...
Mark Reckless: The Member gave an example: he said that the future further funding for flood protection was one of the prizes he would defend through this process. Actually, there is some increase in the flood protection budget between this final budget and the draft budget, but the overall budget I believe for flood protection is still very significantly reduced. And, yes, our Finance Committee has been...
Mark Reckless: It’s a pleasure to follow Adam Price and I’m very interested in the perspective and the nuance of what he says, because it does seem to me that there is clearly a range of views within his party, and those who were previously part of it, as to the appropriate extent of co-operation with the Labour Government and the degree to which Plaid takes responsibility for this budget. When we...
Mark Reckless: Our policy on grammar schools is one of a number of policies. I think it is really unacceptable for the Welsh Government to use, as a shield for this—I think everyone agrees—deeply unsatisfactory set of PISA results, a report that it will not share. How can we sensibly respond to the statement, or take part in this debate on even terms with the Government, if they have a report they cite...
Mark Reckless: Oscar—on fine form this afternoon. I suppose, in joining this debate, when we had the PISA statement, I was a little shy of being overly critical because of the way the statement was framed. Yes the results were bad, yes the trend was declining, but the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development had issued this report that told us to stay the course, and we shouldn’t worry...
Mark Reckless: The Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee recently visited a community hydroelectric project in north Wales, and I followed up with Ofgem on the issue raised, that the costs of connection to the grid, where there isn’t sufficient capacity in the area already, have to generally be borne by the developer, whereas the approach taken in Scotland for large-scale renewables...
Mark Reckless: I also support an LCM for this measure. I'm grateful to the Cabinet Secretary for his phone call yesterday explaining some of the background of this, although, of course, I'm also aware of our work on the Finance Committee. If the UK Government doesn't consider it to be necessary to have an LCM, I note its failure to prevent the facilitation of UK tax evasion offences, which is clause 37 of...
Mark Reckless: The Member for Torfaen compares Brexit to the collapse of Yugoslavia. Is she really making a comparison to that bloodshed and hundreds of thousands of deaths? When she talks about civil society, is she not aware that the majority of society voted for this?
Mark Reckless: Yes, and I look forward to working with the Chair of the Finance Committee and others on that. I think the proposal that any change in a budget line that were to be submitted as a motion should at the same time have an amendment as to either an increase in taxation or a reduction in spending which would counter that. But, subject to that, I think we would benefit from having that democratic...
Mark Reckless: Yes, I’m very happy to.
Mark Reckless: We are around seven years into a period of economic recovery, albeit from an absolutely terrible recession. There’s been substantial growth in the overall UK and Welsh economies. Unemployment is really very low by historical comparisons, at least over the last 30 years, in both Wales and the UK. The budget deficit at a UK level is still approaching £70 billion, approximately 4 per cent of...
Mark Reckless: I note the Cabinet Secretary’s response, but the complete record is not available. I would quite like to look at what the key stage 2 results are for different schools across Wales, and to compare what the trend is in that and what improvements there have been, and to make comparisons, appropriately adjusted, between schools, as would many other parents. The system is set up for her and for...
Mark Reckless: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for her answer, and of course next year and afterwards we may not have the opportunity to make such comparisons across the border because the GCSE grading system is changing in England from A to G to 9 to 1, and Wales is not taking that path. As a parent seeking to compare primary schools, and standards across different schools, I’ve found that a much greater...
