Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government – in the Senedd at 1:40 pm on 13 October 2021.

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Photo of Peter Fox Peter Fox Conservative 1:40, 13 October 2021

I've mentioned this, Minister, given that Welsh Labour, your Government and Plaid are currently negotiating a co-operation agreement. Yet, Minister, we still do not know what is in the agreement. What will it mean for the Welsh Government's budget in December? All we have had so far is a vaguely worded Welsh Government statement published last month, and I don't think that's acceptable. And as a responsible opposition, we need to have the opportunity to scrutinise this deal and to look into what it will mean for the hard-working Welsh taxpayers. After all, it is taxpayers that will ultimately foot the bill for this deal. Plaid's manifesto shopping list included, as we know, full devolution of justice, which the Silk commission estimated would cost about £100 million, and they were also talking about borrowing £4 billion from the private sector to fund various policy commitments. Just let that sink in for a moment.

So, will these policies tackle the most pressing issues of the day? No. Will these policies create jobs? No. Will these policies help Wales bounce back post COVID? No. These commitments will instead handcuff the financial recovery that we need. Such eye-watering sums of money risk saddling future generations with unsustainable levels of debt. This will not create jobs, support public services or help Wales's financial recovery from the pandemic. So, Minister, in the spirit of accountability and scrutiny, will you outline what commitments from the Labour-Plaid agreement will feature in the upcoming budget, and how will these be funded?