Rhun ap Iorwerth: Diolch yn fawr iawn, Diprwy Lywydd. To throw Bobby Kennedy's quote straight back at you, Nick Ramsay—whether we like it or not, we live in interesting times. When it comes to the devolution of taxes, we like it very much on this side of the National Assembly, because these are historic times.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: These are historic days for us as a nation. They are historic times for us as a democratic body. There are uniquely Welsh taxes being levied for the very first time in modern times, and it’s an important step for us in terms of the maturity of this Assembly, the maturity of the Welsh Government and the need for a culture change—the need to think differently about the work of Government....
Rhun ap Iorwerth: It’s very interesting to see new markets being developed across the world whilst we are still members of the European Union. And any talk of opportunities of leaving the European Union is empty talk, and we know just how many opportunities there are for the meat industry, for the food industry more widely, and the rural economy more widely, to be part of European structures, including the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Of course, this is another area where there is a great deal of uncertainty as we get closer to the time when it appears that we are still going to be exiting the European Union. Can I ask one question? How many resources within your department, in terms of people and funding, are having to be focused on Brexit and nothing else? And how many additional...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much. I think we had expected this announcement for some months. We could ask some questions about what the UK Government did during that time to try and save the agreement, but, from the point of view of the Welsh Government, it is worth asking today, given that we had expected this announcement, what steps the Welsh Government took to draw up an action plan for such an...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Will the Minister make a statement in response to the announcement regarding Wylfa Newydd? (EAQ0004)
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Will the First Minister make a statement in response to the recent announcement regarding Wylfa Newydd?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: You're too late. We have UKIP Members who can't decide whether they want to intervene. We have former UKIP Members arriving after the opening speeches have been made with no respect to the comments that have been made earlier. Well, it doesn't work like that. Let's make a stance today, as I'm confident that we will do, and say 'no deal' will not work for Wales. It will not work for our young...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: You were elected by a party in an election two and a half years ago that was campaigning openly against devolution 20 years after the referendum to establish the National Assembly for Wales. I have a daughter who was 16 years old at the time of that referendum. She is now 18, she is an adult, she wants a say on her future. I also want her to have a say on her future. I believe in the currency...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Leaving without a deal—I don’t know where to start, if truth be told. I will say first of all that I do accept that there are different views in the Brexit debate, but I have to say that the small minority who favour a 'no deal' exit are willing to take an unreasonable risk with our social and economic well-being, and that’s why we as a party today have introduced this quite simple...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much for taking an intervention. We're 72, 73 days away from the date when we are due—. I know you're getting excited about this, but we are very close to that leaving date. Don't you agree that it's slightly late in the day now to be reaching out to people when we've been crying out in this Assembly for the last two years to have our voice heard, including through the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much. We’re expecting an announcement overnight this evening. As a senior member of Wylfa staff told me over the past few days, it doesn’t look positive. I have to say that I’ve come to a conclusion for some months now that the project is in a very serious state. Clearly, Brexit has limited the UK Government’s capacity to push the agreement through and to seek a funding...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: What we are seeing, though, through much of what you discussed there is the vulnerability of even those anchor sectors that we consider to be so important. Now, you'll know I'm not an 'eggs all in one basket, let's depend on a foreign direct investment bank and only on large companies' kind of guy, and you'll know that we in Plaid Cymru are clear on the need, for example, to refocus on...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I'm very interested to note the review that will be taking place and I look forward to hearing the results of that review. Ford, of course, is one anchor company. A thousand jobs are at risk there, we now understand. Airbus is another. Goodness knows what threats there will be to future investment there in light of Brexit. Wylfa Newydd, surely, would be an anchor in years to come. I'll have...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Diolch yn fawr iawn. Minister, could you remind us how you define what an anchor company is and how important you think their well-being and long-term sustainability is to the Welsh economy?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 2. What discussions has the Minister held regarding the future of Wylfa Newydd? 259
Rhun ap Iorwerth: What discussions has the Counsel General had with the Minister for Economy and Transport about safeguarding Holyhead port given the possibility of a no-deal Brexit?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I’ll begin again by saying that there’s no doubt that the settlement before us today is an opportunity missed to lift some of the pressures off the shoulders of local government, which, in turn, would have had a positive impact on public services more broadly, following years of ongoing austerity. It is clearer than ever, I believe, as we’ve heard from a number of speakers already, that...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Yes, the final budget, and quite a few changes since the draft budget. Unfortunately, not sufficient changes from the draft budget, particularly when it comes to funding for local government. As I welcome the new finance Minister to her post, we could point out that it's possible to do things differently when there’s a change of personnel in a post, but it's possibly rather difficult to do...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I will begin my brief comments by alluding to the Holtham commission and the Silk commission. One of the most important recommendations outlined by them is the value and importance of taking financial responsibility and accountability, and, without a doubt, today we are a step closer towards that accountability and responsibility by being able to set our own income tax rates. We on these...
