Part of 2. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:15 pm on 21 June 2016.
Well, I cannot disagree with you. We have been arguing for some time that air passenger duty should be devolved. It has been devolved to Scotland.
The review that the Member alludes to is a review into the airports of England, and not Cardiff, to see what the impact would be on the airports of England of devolving air passenger duty to Scotland. So, Wales isn’t even part of the equation. There is no reason whatsoever why this duty should be devolved to Scotland and not to Wales. Guto Bebb said that this is something that he couldn’t agree with because it didn’t benefit north Wales. Well, there is a benefit to north Wales. There is a benefit to airports such as Hawarden and Valley, where there would be an opportunity to develop aeroplanes, to develop services, and to ensure that more planes or services come into those airfields. So, no—it’s not possible for me to explain the point of the view of the UK Government on this, but once again something is being devolved to Scotland and not to Wales, and that, in principle, is unfair.