15 January 2025 , Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: New UK Government's first six months
Thank you. We're obviously commemorating six months of Starmer's leadership. You mention the Gordon Brown report. Can you point to one thing within that report that's progressed in that six months of Keir Starmer's premiership?
15 January 2025 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
It's not about when we adopt it; it’s already being adopted, and this Government is behind the curve on that. And you mentioned the Prime Minister’s announcement on AI earlier this month—ironic, then, that, back in August, he cut AI funding by £1.3 billion…
15 January 2025 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
Isn’t it ironic, then, that, in that 14 years that you criticise under a Conservative Government, 800 new jobs were created every day—jobs paying taxes, taxes funding the public services that we all hold dear? And you’re right: productivity won’t be solved…
15 January 2025 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
Diolch, Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, there have been some really troubling economic figures in the last few weeks, following a crisis made in Downing Street. The Labour Chancellor talks about economic growth, but Labour's track record here in Wales is to…
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Okay.
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Six or 7 per cent. How is that then split amongst the portfolio? Is it 50:50 rural affairs and climate change? Is it 60:40, 30:70? Has work been done to determine the split within the department as to how that is seen, or do you, as Deputy First Minister…
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Okay, and then just one final point, coming back to Jamie’s earlier comments in my questioning around the 5 per cent, I believe you said, increase, if you take away the BPS payment. Was it 5 per cent or 6 per cent?
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Yes, and I appreciate that point on delivering the role, but are they funded sufficiently to be able to help develop the transition towards the sustainable farming scheme?
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Yes, I think they’ve been in touch with your office, but I’m happy to pick that up as well. And due to your succinct answers, Deputy First Minister, I’ve got time to go back to my original agricultural support questions. But specifically around Farming…
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Thank you very much, Chair. Just sticking with fisheries, the economic development officer for aquaculture at Pembrokeshire County Council—you'll be aware and your team will be, Deputy First Minister, of this—their role is supported and funded by the shared…
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Fund the monster. [Laughter.]
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Thank you very much. It's on the Pembrokeshire pilot project. Will continuity of funding for that project be coming forward?
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Okay, I'm happy, then, for these to go via written questions, if that's okay with the Cabinet Secretary.
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Okay. And just one final—
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Your diplomacy's very good here.
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
In layman's terms then, for me, your multi-annual support plan sits on top, and that £20 million that's been announced sits underneath, specifically in this period, where this is the sort of trajectory we'd like to go, but this injection of £20 million this…
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Okay. So, how, then, with the multi-annual support plan for agriculture for 2025-29—? You've just said, 'It's hard to do because we can't do multi-annual planning', so that £20 million, it's hard to correlate that to historical stuff, but then, at the same…
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Okay. Thank you, Deputy First Minister. An additional £20 million of funding is being provided for wider rural investment schemes. I'm just wondering how does that compare, historically, to those rural investment schemes.
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
This is my job, Huw.
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Okay, so in that answer, is there a guarantee that it will not be less than the £355 million earmarked for this financial year?
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Okay. And the £238 million BPS, including the rural investment scheme—a total of £355.17 million. You mentioned that, Deputy First Minister. Is that an indication of what's to come for the sustainable farming scheme?
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Okay, so that's climate change and rural affairs. So, that 6 per cent wouldn't necessarily be seeing an increase in agricultural finance and support, but it would be seen across some of the climate change elements that the Deputy First Minister is responsible…
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
So, sorry, can I just ask: is that the total climate change and rural affairs budget, or the rural affairs budget specifically, the 6 per cent increase?
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Thank you, Chair. No surprises, Cabinet Secretary, Deputy First Minister: agricultural support is the theme that I'll be going in on, but I just wondered how, in setting the budget, you've taken inflation into account for farming support?
15 January 2025 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs and the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
Okay. Thank you, Chair.
