Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government – in the Senedd at 1:41 pm on 13 October 2021.
Llywydd, I do try to be as helpful as I possibly can be in questions, but I'm not going to be drawn into any commentary on discussions that may be taking place between my party and Plaid Cymru. I don't think this is an appropriate time to do that.
That said, I think that there are important things that the Conservatives can be bringing to this discussion in terms of what's good for people in Wales. We have a perfect opportunity on 27 October for the Conservatives to really demonstrate their commitment to Wales and to give that better future that you've just suggested that you wanted. One way they could do that, of course, would be funding the coal tip remediation in Wales. Let's remember that's £500 million to £600 million over the course over the next 10 years, which, if the UK Government doesn't fund it, and Barnett never was intended for this purpose, then that's funding that we'll have to divert away from other things, such as building social housing, investing in schools and hospitals, and in road maintenance and so on. On 27 October, they can address the historical underfunding in rail that we've just discussed in response to Jayne Bryant's question, and can address that dearth of EU funding that we've addressed in another previous question this afternoon, and, more broadly, provide that certainty that we won't be returning to austerity. So, I think that Welsh Government is keen to work with all of those who share our ambition for a fairer, greener and more equal Wales, but I do think that the Conservatives have a chance to influence their own Government at this important point.