Part of 1. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:51 pm on 28 March 2017.
Diolch, Llywydd. My group leader asked me to pass on his apologies, as he is at a family funeral today. May I commend the First Minister on his Government’s 13 March response to the UK Government’s consultation paper on the future of the Severn tolls? It’s well argued, and faithfully reflects the unanimous view of this Assembly on my motion to support the abolition of tolls on the Severn bridge following their return to the public sector. One would, though, hope there would be a greater degree of engagement between the Welsh Government and the UK Government than merely filing a consultation response. The Silk commission proposed close co-ordination between the two Governments over the future of the Severn crossing. The St David’s Day agreement then said that the UK Government would work with the Welsh Government to determine the long-term future of the Severn crossings, and even the UK Government’s own road investment strategy says,
‘The Department for Transport, working with…the Welsh Assembly Government…will examine the future of the crossing in detail’.
Could the First Minister tell us how that engagement is going?