8. Welsh Conservatives debate: 'Prosperity for All'

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:23 pm on 24 January 2018.

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Photo of Darren Millar Darren Millar Conservative 6:23, 24 January 2018

Sorry, I gave way to accept an apology, but clearly didn't get it. I have to say I'm also very disappointed that the Welsh Government doesn't seem to understand that it's businesses that create the wealth, which pay the taxes and pay the members of the public, which then pay for public services. So, you've obviously got to have a business base, both small, medium and large businesses, Hefin—not just small businesses—all of which do good for society. 

Now, one important aspect of business in Wales, which has been referred to in this debate, is the importance of the tourism industry, and it's particularly important in north Wales, as the Cabinet Secretary will know, because of his own constituency interests. The tourism industry has been absolutely spooked by this suggestion that there could be a tax on accommodation across Wales at a time when there are no such taxes elsewhere in the UK, and at a time when tourism businesses are already paying corporation tax, VAT, employers national insurance, and a whole host of other taxes such as business rates. That has spooked many of those businesses. Many of them in my own constituency are now holding back on making investment in their businesses. [Interruption.] It's not rubbish; I'll send you the e-mails. I'll send you the e-mails, Cabinet Secretary. People are holding back on investing in their businesses because they have no idea what's going to come next from the Welsh Government. 'Why are they out to get us?', they say. You've spooked them. You've spooked them, and I suspect very much that your Cabinet Secretary agrees with my point of view. So, when you finally end up ditching that ridiculous proposal, you'll hear lots of cheers on these benches, because it needs to be consigned to the rubbish bin as soon as possible.

And we all know the importance of infrastructure in order to create prosperity, the importance of decent access to broadband, which still many businesses and many homes do not have, particularly in north Wales and particularly in rural parts of Wales. We all know the importance of a decent transport infrastructure—it was referred to in the last debate—so that we can bleed some of the prosperity from those areas of the country that are doing very well, whether they be over the border in England, Rhun, or whether they be within Wales and we need to bleed that prosperity out. But I tell you what: I'm not for closing a slate curtain across our border, trying to ignore the fact that many people cross that border—[Interruption.] I'm not accusing the Welsh Government of wanting this; I'm accusing Rhun ap Iorwerth of wanting this. This is what he was referring to. The reality is that there are strong economic links between the north-west of England and north Wales, and between the Birmingham area and the Shropshire area and mid Wales, and between south Wales and England in terms of Bristol and the wider geographic area around there. Why can't you recognise that that gives us opportunities? You're willing to do business with countries many miles away and yet the country that's the biggest opportunity for our Welsh businesses is just over the border and you don't want to connect with it.