, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Thank you. As we understand it, the audit office undertakes a sustainable development principle examination at least once every five years. The fee of £30,000 would come out of the unallocated proportion of the £750,000 funding estimated for the food…
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
As I said, Rhianon, some of the stakeholder costs are unquantifiable as yet, because we won't be enacting the Bill. The nature and the shape of all of the constituent parts of it will be determined by the Welsh Government. We've allowed that flexibility in…
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
The Bill does not require any input from voluntary organisations or the private sector. The benefits, opportunities and costs on these organisations will result from the food plans, and obviously they would have to be produced afterwards. For example, it is…
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Thank you, Rhianon. Providing an impact assessment over a five-year timescale has been the standard approach for Member legislation and also for the previous Finance Committee's Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Act 2019, as I know Tyler talked about earlier…
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
That's a good point.
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
We've been thorough in our engagement via consultation with all bodies throughout, and we've obviously received a really proactive response from them. I've had individual people, even chief execs from local authorities, who have been supportive and constantly…
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Can I bring one of you guys in, perhaps, there?
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Yes, thank you, Sam. A lot of bodies, as we've heard already, are doing a lot of work in this area already, and what we gained through some of the responses to the consultation was their overall support for what we're trying to do to try and join up the dots…
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Thank you. Well, our approach while formulating the policy was to identify the key impacts and which type of organisations would be affected. Costs have been estimated on the basis of either figures provided by those organisations, costs based on advice that…
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Thank you, Sam. Well, given the nature of the Bill—and, as I said earlier, I won't be enacting it as such—it would be for Welsh Ministers, and possibly the food commission, with their support, to analyse and quantify the actual cost savings. The food strategy…
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Well, it's important to note that, whilst this could become law, the resources and access to information that we have had so far, compared to what the Welsh Government would likely have during the same process, is very different. We have done our best, if you…
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
We were challenged in—. I was challenged in a similar way by the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee, by Members there, who wanted to know what my red lines were, and this, that and the other, and I think it's wholly inappropriate, really, for me…
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Thank you, Mike. Obviously, our proposal was taken to the Senedd and they gave me leave to, and I have no choice but to bring this Bill forward, and I think it's right, anyway, to bring it forward in its current guise. It's for later Stages if people want to…
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Could I bring Tyler in to supplement that as well?
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Elfyn, can I bring you in on that?
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Can I bring in somebody who knows those details better than me?
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Can I supplement that bit, because Tyler prompted me there, actually? It was only a couple of weeks ago, in the last week of Sophie Howe's role, that I put the question to her: could her commission, could she absorb this work, could she do it? No way; she…
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Well, taken as a whole, the Bill is intended to provide value for money by providing an opportunity for Welsh Ministers and public bodies to consider the policies and funding directed towards addressing food-related issues and whether existing resources could…
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
It was quite interesting, I did listen in to the Minister's contribution, and I think somebody challenged her as to what the cost of the existing set of legislative frameworks, linked to food is, and the Minister said that they can't make that assessment…
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Yes. Do you want to, Martin—?
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Yes, thank you, Chair. As we previously discussed, the Bill gives the Welsh Government adequate scope to set up arrangements flexibly within the framework of the Bill. I won't be the person who can enact this Bill, so, we've made it purposely in a framework…
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Well, thank you, Chair. It's good to be with you today. This is a very important piece of work that we've been doing for some time, as you'll know, and we welcome the discussions that we've had with the Minister and her officials to date. I think, personally…
, Finance Committee
Financial implications of the Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 2
Thank you, Chair. I'm Peter Fox, the Member in charge of the Bill. I'm joined by Tyler Walsh, a member of my support staff; and Martin Jennings and Elfyn Henderson, who are part of the Bill team that the Commission kindly wrapped around this process.
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Income tax devolution
I understand that there is an important discussion to be had about how we fund services here in Wales and that varying tax levels is the go-to for politicians when looking to raise additional revenue, but we shouldn’t forget just how much of the Welsh budget…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Thank you, Minister. It was helpful to hear that. Minister, you will be aware from the case work that I have previously written to you about, which touches upon my original question—. The main issue that was raised with me was that there generally isn’t…
