Nick Ramsay: The Member makes a very well-made and important point, and I don’t disagree with you that we mustn’t be complacent here, Huw. I think we would all agree with that. We know from a few years ago that forecasts can be wrong. That is the very nature of them. What I would say is that, overall, since 2010, we know that there’s been deficit reduction. We might disagree about the level of...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I’m pleased to move this motion today noting the UK Government’s autumn statement—a statement that has seen a significant increase in capital funding for the Welsh Government over the next five years. Although admittedly times are still very tough financially, Wales is in a stronger funding position than it was before. Not just our view on these...
Nick Ramsay: Cabinet Secretary, I am really pleased that Llyr Gruffydd has raised this very important question. There are strong links between sleep disorders and mental health, so in dealing with sleep order conditions, you are providing a valuable preventative measure in terms of mental health and other areas of the health service. I think you just mentioned the Aneurin Bevan sleep centre, which is...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. The autumn statement will deliver over £400 million extra capital funding over the next five years for infrastructure projects in Wales. We know that there have been concerns surrounding funding for the metro, particularly in the wake of the European referendum. What plans have you to use some of this extra money to support the metro, particularly in rural areas...
Nick Ramsay: 5. Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government’s plans for infrastructure in light of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement? OAQ(5)0083(EI)
Nick Ramsay: Will the Minister make a statement on mental health services in Monmouthshire?
Nick Ramsay: Thank you. I’m not going to tell you what posters I had on my wall in my bedroom as a teenager, but they certainly weren’t of economists. I hear what you’re saying, Adam, but are you honestly saying that you do not believe that any cuts were necessary at all? Because if you are saying that, then that is completely preposterous. You have to believe in running an economy fiscally...
Nick Ramsay: I’ve already said that I welcome a treatment fund; I just think it’s a shame that we are playing catch-up from a number of years ago, when our constituents—and not just mine; I’m sure constituents in your area, Rhun, in Ynys Môn were also calling for a cancer treatment fund. It is one of the biggest killers in Wales and I just think it’s a shame that we didn’t take that action at...
Nick Ramsay: In a moment, I will. I had constituents at their tethers’ end considering moving across the border from my constituency to access life-lengthening medication.
Nick Ramsay: Diolch. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I’m pleased to contribute to this debate today and to move the amendment in the name of Paul Davies. It’s not an identical amendment to last year’s draft budget, Cabinet Secretary—I did actually change the year. [Laughter.] Some of the problems that that amendment addressed are still there, but it is a recent amendment. Can I concur with many of...
Nick Ramsay: Leader of the house, can I ask for two statements? First of all, earlier, in First Minister’s questions, Gareth Bennet asked the First Minister for an update on the south Wales metro. Could I reiterate those calls for an update on that, particularly with regard to the next phase? As you know from my concerns during the last Assembly, the town of Monmouth has been on some metro maps and off...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, leader of the house, I should say, for giving way on that. Just for the record, I did identify one area where the Welsh health service was ahead of that across the border in England, but there are also other areas where we are falling behind a little bit, and we need to make sure that we are ahead across the board. I’m sure you’ll agree.
Nick Ramsay: Thank you; you can open your eyes now. The sounds you’ve just heard are sounds that blind and partially sighted people hear on a daily basis. Without sight, as you can imagine, these noises can be very disconcerting. I recently undertook a blindfolded walk with Monmouth Visually Impaired Club, and my experiences were nothing short of profound. The walk from the Monnow bridge to the top of...
Nick Ramsay: Diolch. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I’ve agreed to give a minute of my time to Mark Isherwood. There is a brief opening presentation with a difference at the start of this short debate. So, can I firstly ask you all to close your eyes for a minute or so?
Nick Ramsay: I’m grateful to you for giving way. I understand what you’re saying about the problem of additional complexity, and there is great virtue in a simple system. But, nonetheless, people out there in businesses in my constituency and in some others are deeply, deeply worried about this, so they need reassurance. I understand there’s going to be a system put in place for rate relief, but...
Nick Ramsay: I’m very grateful to you for giving way on that. I did actually say in my contribution that, on average, there is a reduction in rates across Wales. So, I did acknowledge that. My point was that, for those businesses in those parts of Wales that have been affected, they have been particularly badly affected. I think it would be a complacent approach not to recognise that, and to put in...
Nick Ramsay: Diolch, Presiding Officer. I’m pleased to contribute to this debate and to move the Welsh Conservatives’ amendments in Paul Davies’s name. As our amendments highlight, Wales has the worst high-street vacancy rate in the UK, and footfall is down by 1.4 per cent, compared with October 2015. Okay, one of many statistics, but an important statistic nonetheless. I think we are all very well...
Nick Ramsay: Can I welcome the Cabinet Secretary’s statement today? Landfill tax might not be the talk of pubs and clubs across Wales, but it is an important tax and can be an important tool for Welsh Government to effect environmental policy in Wales. I’m going to be part of the Finance Committee scrutiny into the landfill tax, so I will keep my comments and questions brief today, Cabinet Secretary,...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you. First Minister, the autumn statement will deliver over £400 million over the next five years for infrastructure—good news. Will you make sure that all areas of Wales benefit from this extra funding, including rural areas like Monmouthshire, my constituency, which receives one of the lowest local government settlements but which would really benefit from additional investment in...
Nick Ramsay: 7. How does the First Minister plan to utilise additional funding for Wales resulting from the Autumn Statement? OAQ(5)0296(FM)
