, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Group 2: Development of Tourism (Amendments 64, 65, 66, 67)
Thank you, Chair. Before turning to the amendments, I wonder if I could just make two general points. First of all, of course, to thank all of those who've contributed to the development of the Bill and the scrutiny process, particularly members of this…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Development of Tourism and Regulation of Visitor Accommodation (Wales) Bill: Stage 2 proceedings
Diolch yn fawr, Cadeirydd. I'm Mark Drakeford. I'm the Cabinet Secretary responsible for the Bill, and with me this morning I have Rebecca Hawkins, who has been leading the Bill team, and Kate Lewandowska who is from the OLC, the Office of the Legislative…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I thank Cefin Campbell for that. I can tell the Member, after what I said at the Urdd Eisteddfod back in May, that since then up until today, we've been able to deliver on 11 recommendations and hope to complete another six before the end of this Senedd term…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I thank Cefin Campbell, Llywydd. Since publishing our response to the commission's report, we have been working across departments to implement the recommendations. I have also held discussions with a number of stakeholders and my fellow Ministers. I will be…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Llywydd, the £13 million is a figure for investment in this financial year, not in the 2026-27 budget, and there's further money in that budget for the delivery of the network north Wales metro, a very important scheme to which the Minister for north Wales is…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Llywydd, the 2026-27 final budget ensures that critical public services, on which the people of north Wales rely on, have certainty and the funding to deliver on their priorities. It increases funding for the NHS, it strengthens councils so that they can…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Well, Llywydd, I think I've already tried to explain this afternoon some of the complexities that lie behind the challenges faced by the sector. But I'll say to Members on the Conservative benches that one of the problems faced by the sector in Wales is the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I thank the Member, Llywydd. Following the UK Government’s announcement last week, the Welsh Government has confirmed the additional non-domestic rates relief we will provide in Wales. Sector representatives have estimated that around two thirds of…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
In my original answer, I gave the Member some facts about what the impact of the change has been. Sixty per cent of Welsh businesses meet the 182-day threshold. That's more than we expected. It's more than the industry expected. Let me remind her why this…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Because that would be a barn door to abuse. That's why I wouldn't be prepared to allow for unlimited use for charitable purposes. This is a self-assessment system. There are no Welsh Government officials or letting police going around checking whether…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
On the final point the Member raised, of course, I am always willing to look at any examples that Members here would raise. Mr George says that this is a small business. Nothing prevents the small business from operating if it doesn’t take customers for 182…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
The regulatory impact assessment for this policy was published alongside the associated legislation in May 2022. Following implementation of changes, we now know that 60 per cent of holiday lets have met the revised letting criteria, more than predicted by…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I thank Tom Giffard for that question. When the Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Bill was going through the Senedd last term, we were pleased to pass the Bill unanimously across the Chamber. That was an important thing, to show the people of Wales that…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I thank Lindsay Whittle for that. He mentioned the annual population survey. It was a disappointment to see numbers go down a little in it. The decrease is not statistically significant, and the figures do need careful interpretation. As you know, they're no…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I thank Lindsay Whittle for the question, Llywydd. We operate across all Government departments to ensure that the Welsh language is mainstreamed in all policy areas. Each Cabinet Secretary has a responsibility to support 'Cymraeg 2050', and I meet regularly…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I thank Carolyn Thomas for that. Look, I accept that, for many businesses, understanding the pattern of small businesses' rates liability and rate relief is a complex matter. The bill you get is a combination of your rateable value and the level of the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Llywydd, I was very happy to agree that Welsh Government officials should attend the meeting that the Member held with Paul Davies. And when he isn't in rhetorical overdrive, there were some sensible points in what he said. It's true that challenges facing…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Llywydd, revaluations maintain fairness in the system. No additional revenue is raised through revaluation. Some bills increase, some decrease and many do not change. That reflects relative movement in the non-domestic property market and the continued…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I thank the Member for that question. The initial discussions on this matter were not held with the Treasury, they were held between the Department for Education in England and Ministers here in the Welsh Government. There has been a subsequent meeting…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I would be very surprised if it wasn't mentioned again at the FISC because both Scotland and Northern Ireland were even more adversely affected by the decisions of the UK Government than we were here in Wales, and other colleagues have very regularly raised…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Well, Llywydd, what we have secured is that the reform of the current Barnett formula, the way the current formula operates, will be a major item on the agenda of the next FISC—not just an item, but a major item, probably the item to which the greatest amount…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Well, Llywydd, I am a socialist. I'm very proud to be one, because socialists understand that economies thrive when societies are more equal—when everybody has a chance to contribute to the successful economy we all want to see. And that is the message that…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
All Ministers in the Welsh Government, Llywydd, have an interest in the economy, making sure that the economy in Wales is successful, and all Ministers have an interest in making sure that the fruits of that success are shared fairly amongst the Welsh…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
I thank the Member for what he said about the announcement we were able to make yesterday about further support for the hospitality sector in Wales. The industry itself, their assessment is that two thirds of hospitality businesses in Wales pay no business…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Again, I thank the Member for that question, Llywydd. West Wales businesses benefit from advice through Business Wales, funding from the development bank, favourable tax arrangements at the Celtic free port, the investment secured through the Swansea city…
