7. Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Basic Income and the transition to a zero-carbon economy

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:54 pm on 13 July 2022.

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Photo of Janet Finch-Saunders Janet Finch-Saunders Conservative 3:54, 13 July 2022

Thanks for that contribution, but we'll have to beg to differ. As  far as I'm concerned, you have failed the people of Wales as regards the clean air Act.

We've got record high poverty levels amongst infants and children and low levels of investment in our towns and cities. A brain-drain era has swept across the nation, leaving our industries, civil service and hospitals short of staff and without any room for growth. The UBI pilot scheme simply epitomises the current state of Welsh Government affairs. Under its very premise, UBI presents the notion that some should be entitled—entitled—to a payout from the state and that we as individuals are owed something from others. But when has this ever been the mindset of the majority of the people of Wales? Let us not forget that Wales was once the great nation of state building here on the British isles. Well before the Magna Carta, we had Hywel's laws, the most progressive and comprehensive set of laws that set in stone a forward-thinking and a progressive Welsh society. From sowing the soil of our green fields, to mining our coal and slate mines, our coastal villages and hillside communities have prevailed over adversity, and have remained driven to improve the lives of those in our communities through their own grit, hard work and determination.