, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
One other question, just picking up on the earlier discussion about the purposes, there was quite a strong point made about there being nothing much in the Bill around innovation and productivity, and surely that should be something that we would want to…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Could I just, if I may—
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Yes, okay. And there's a whole series of questions we could ask about timber security, I realise that.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Okay. Got you. Right. It was the way I read the Bill. You might need to tweak that to make it clearer—I don't know. We have also heard quite compelling evidence around, of course—. We talk about food security, rightly so. But the point is made—and we are…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Sure. So, you wouldn't be supporting ancillary activities, unless it's agriculture and ancillary activities.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Ah, right. Okay. Yes. So, 'The Welsh Ministers may provide support for or in connection with agriculture in Wales and ancillary activities' It's not, 'and/or'. Is that what you are saying? That's the point that you are making.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
So, we shouldn't look at the meaning of 'ancillary activity' in isolation. Is that what you are saying?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Sure. Okay. We did have evidence from people who were looking at the list of purposes, and then looking at the definition in section 49, or the meaning of, 'ancillary activity'. The question that they were asking was, 'Does this not risk using some of that…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Is that explicit in the Bill, is it? Sorry, I might have—. Or, is that just a policy intent?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
I just want to focus a bit on the ancillary activities and what that really means. How are you going to strike the balance between supporting agriculture and supporting ancillary activities? I don't want to go back to the old pillar 1 and pillar 2 tensions…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Or refining.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
It's very much part of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, you take all of the four pillars together, and it's just sort of not amplified here in the objectives, and I just feel that's—. You know, you mention cherry-picking, and I'm not…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Well, as an objective it could be 'the economic vibrancy' or something.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Yes, thank you. You just said earlier, Minister, that keeping farmers on the land is the most important thing, and I'm sure a number of us would agree with that. But of course it doesn't say that in the Bill. It talks about climate change, the resilience of…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest
I'm an honorary member of the BVA.
, Plenary
Short Debate: Horse-racing: An economic and sporting asset for Wales
As a Member for North Wales, of course, my first trip racing, as a new convert to the sport, was to where else but Bangor-on-Dee racecourse within my region, to which I was actually invited by the British Horseracing Authority, along with some other Members…
, Plenary
Short Debate: Horse-racing: An economic and sporting asset for Wales
Now, it would be remiss of me not to highlight in this speech today the support that the Welsh Government has provided, of course, to the Welsh racing industry during the period of the pandemic. The shutdown of racing for a number of months, and then…
, Plenary
Short Debate: Horse-racing: An economic and sporting asset for Wales
Well, thank you very much, Llywydd, and I have to say it is a pleasure to bring this short debate before the Senedd today, to take this opportunity to outline and underline the significant contribution that the horse-racing industry makes to Wales not just in…
, Plenary
Debate on the Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee Report—'Digital connectivity—broadband'
Diolch yn fawr. Can I thank everybody who has contributed? And at the risk of becoming embroiled in this debate as to who's responsible for what, I think it's pretty clear; the first substantive section of our report as a committee, on page 2, starts with the…
, Plenary
Debate on the Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee Report—'Digital connectivity—broadband'
One of our main concerns was, and is, digital inclusion. Although more and more people can access superfast broadband, the cost of access will often be a barrier for many, particularly again during a cost-of-living crisis. There is a risk that broadband…
, Plenary
Debate on the Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee Report—'Digital connectivity—broadband'
As a committee, our starting point is that everyone in Wales should be able to access fast broadband. More and more of our lives are lived online—that's how we make appointments; we manage our bank accounts online, many of us; we talk to friends and family…
, Plenary
Debate on the Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee Report—'Digital connectivity—broadband'
Thank you very much, Llywydd. I'm delighted to open this debate in the name of the committee. First of all I'd like to thank all of those stakeholders who contributed to the committee's work, and I'm also very pleased that the Minister has accepted all of the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Thank you for that. You've listed engagement with the UK Government. I'm still waiting for something in relation to your own UK Labour Party; maybe you could expand a little bit in a moment. I wanted to ask you about something else as well, because the UK…
, Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. I'm glad, Counsel General, that you've referred to the recent publication, The Welsh Criminal Justice System: On the Jagged Edge, by Dr Rob Jones and Professor Richard Wyn Jones, and I would heartily recommend it as a good read to the…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Motion under Standing Order 17.42 (vi) and (ix) to resolve to exclude the public from the remainder of today's meeting
And we will therefore move into private session for the remainder of our meeting. And I propose, in accordance with Standing Order 17.42(vi) and (ix), that the committee resolves to meet in private for the remainder of the meeting. Are Members content? Thank…
