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Strong approach will deliver better economic benefits

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Ken Skates: Delivering a message of unity

Ken Skates: Delivering a message of unity

TOGETHER we can work to lead a stronger, more confident economy – this is the message from Economy and Infrastructure Secretary, Ken Skates, following constructive talks with key Welsh companies this week. 

Addressing business leaders at two Anchor Company Forum meetings in Wrexham and Cardiff, Ken Skates discussed impact and opportunities arising from the EU referendum result, listened to concerns and proposed next steps.

He said: “Both meetings were incredibly productive with constructive and positive talks around the EU Referendum outcome, the opportunities it presents for businesses in Wales and how the Welsh Government, business and academia can support them.

It was also encouraging to see so much energy around the room and a real sense of rising to the occasion.

“These discussions also provided me with a great opportunity to meet with half of Wales’ Anchor companies. What I am hearing loud and clear is that whilst there are acknowledged challenges, there are also huge opportunities for a Team Wales approach, enabling us to capitalise on some of the future prospects that a Britain out of the EU brings.

“My focus is on gathering people, organisations and social partners together to work collectively for the benefit of the whole of Wales. We may be a small country, but that enables us to act very nimbly and together I firmly believe we can have a stronger and more secure economy, one with highly skilled jobs that benefit every community in Wales and I was very pleased to hear the commitment from our Anchor companies to support this objective over the coming weeks and months.”

Highlighting how the Welsh Government has already taken steps to help reassure companies that Wales is very much open for business, the Economy Secretary explained: “Immediately following the EU referendum result, the First Minister asked me to put together a Business Confidence Plan. I have done that and I have shared details of that with Anchor companies this week.

“Part of that plan encompasses a Growth and Prosperity Fund. We recognise that there is uncertainty and we recognise that there is a role for Government to show leadership and determination and that is exactly what we are doing. I am committed to supporting the Welsh economy with specific actions, such as the growth fund, as well as confident investment in key infrastructure and skills.

“In terms of supporting Small and Medium Businesses and start-ups, I am a huge fan of providing the right support and environments for entrepreneurs to succeed. In Wales, we already have Business Wales and a number and variety of creative hub spaces and what I want to do is make sure there are more of them. That young entrepreneurs and innovators and creators have an area where they can come and work together in a shared space to develop their business ideas and grow their enterprises together.”

Lending support to the Cabinet Secretary’s vision of a strong Team Wales approach, BT Cymru Wales Regional Director, Alwen Williams, said: “This was a welcome opportunity for both business and the Welsh Government to come together and discuss the challenges and opportunities of Brexit.

“The Anchor Company Forum demonstrates how collaborative Wales can be and it’s already been shown this summer that as a country we’re together stronger. It’s now time for business and government to follow suit in order to make Wales an attractive proposition for investors. ”

Dr Mark Picton, Commercial Operations Manager at RWE (Aberthaw Power Station), added: “In these times of uncertainty for business post Brexit, it was reassuring to hear the Cabinet Secretary reinforce that Wales is very much ‘open for business’.

“It was also very encouraging that the Cabinet Secretary was keen to understand the challenges of our individual businesses. I feel confident I can meet these challenges with Welsh Government support.”

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Politics

Wales’ First Minister: What happens next?

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THIS WEEK will see Mark Drakeford formally step down, with his successor as Wales’ new first minister set to be appointed and a cabinet reshuffle on the horizon.

Following Vaughan Gething’s victory in the Welsh Labour leadership contest, here’s what you can expect as the formal resignation and nomination process gets under way.

Mark Drakeford announced he would be stepping down on 13 December, exactly five years to the day since he was appointed Wales’ first minister in 2018.

He will take his final first minister’s questions on Tuesday, 19 March from 1.30pm.

The outgoing First Minister will be quizzed about his record in office, with questions tabled on the 20mph limit, disused mines and Wales’ place in the world.

Mr Drakeford will then formally tender his resignation to King Charles III.

He is scheduled to give a 30-minute resignation statement in the Senedd at about 3.45pm, with party leaders and MSs expected to take this opportunity to pay tribute.

On Wednesday March 20, the Welsh Government will inform Elin Jones, the Senedd’s speaker or Llywydd, as soon as the Palace confirms the resignation has been accepted.

Ms Jones will then make a written statement to notify the Senedd that this has been received, which marks the point at which Mark Drakeford has formally resigned.

Nominations for the next First Minister will then take place in the Senedd’s chamber or Siambr during the afternoon’s plenary session.

Exact timings are to be confirmed on Wednesday morning but it will either be the first item on the agenda at 1.30pm or after climate change and health questions at nearer 3pm.

If only Vaughan Gething is nominated, he will be declared the First Minister-elect.

But if more than one nomination is made, every Senedd member – except Ms Jones and her deputy, David Rees – will vote by roll call with the nominee requiring a simple majority.

The Llywydd will recommend the Welsh Parliament’s nominee to the King and the First Minister-elect will address the Senedd.

The First Minister will be appointed by Royal Warrant, a legal document authorised by the King, before being sworn in at the Welsh Government’s Cathays Park headquarters.

Mr Drakeford was the only nominee after the 2021 election but when he was first appointed in 2018, Plaid Cymru and the Tories put forward their leaders as a symbolic gesture.

However, after the 2016 election, the vote for First Minister between Carwyn Jones and Leanne Wood was tied until the deadlock was broken a week later.

The current parliamentary arithmetic means a tied vote is a possibility but it remains unlikely as it would require agreement between the Tories, Plaid Cymru and Lib Dems.

Vaughan Gething is expected to reshuffle the cabinet in the first week of the Senedd’s Easter recess, which begins on Monday, March 25.

Ministers remain in post in the interim but the counsel general, the Welsh Government’s chief legal adviser, will cease to hold office when the First Minister is appointed.

While Mr Gething will want to put his own stamp on the government, most of the Labour group backed his opponent, Jeremy Miles, so he will need to build some bridges.

Mr Miles, who is education minister, is likely to be offered a ministerial post as a result.

However, a handful of MSs could leave the frontbenches, with Lee Waters already having confirmed he is set to leave his post as deputy minister for transport.

Eluned Morgan and Rebecca Evans, Wales’ health and finance ministers respectively, both backed Mr Gething for leader and will likely stay in the cabinet.

Lynne Neagle and Dawn Bowden, deputy ministers for mental health and culture respectively, also supported his leadership bid and could be promoted.

Jayne Bryant and Ken Skates, who ran Mr Gething’s campaign, could be set for new roles.

Mr Skates stood down as economy minister in 2021 after eight years in government to spend more time in his Clwyd South constituency.

Alyn and Deeside MS Jack Sargeant, and Cynon Valley MS Vikki Howells, could be among the fresh faces in the running – as could Caerphilly MS Hefin David.

The new First Minister can appoint a temporary counsel general with Mick Antoniw, the incumbent, seen as the frontrunner. 

Uniquely, this role can be filled by a non-Senedd member but Theodore Huckle, a barrister, was the first, and so far only, independent professional counsel general from 2011 to 2016.

In the days following the Welsh Government reshuffle, the Conservatives are expected to rearrange their own frontbench team in the Senedd.

Wales’ new First Minister will take their first FMQs following the Easter recess on April 16.

That week is likely to see changes to Senedd committee memberships and a motion to formally recommend a new counsel general to the King.

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Stephen Crabb MP calls for a fairer deal for farmers

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WITH concerns over the future of farming in Wales rising to the top of the political agenda, Stephen Crabb MP took up the opportunity to visit a dairy farm near Cosheston recently (Friday 8th March) to meet with a group of Pembrokeshire farmers to hear exactly why the new Welsh Government farming policies have caused so much concern to the industry. 

Held at Poyerston Farm, Stephen talked to the owner, NFU Cymru member, Roger Lewis, and a variety of NFU Cymru farmers and representatives as well as Samual Kurtz local MS and Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs, to hear their first-hand accounts of being part of one of the biggest farming demonstrations ever seen in Britain, which saw more than 3,000 farmers journeying to the Senedd. 

During the farm visit Stephen was provided with a tour of the rotary milking parlour and was able to find out more about the Welsh Government NVZ rules, the Sustainable Farming Scheme and the ongoing struggles with Bovine TB which are colliding to threaten the future of farming in Wales. 

Stephen said told The Herald: “It is clear from speaking to farmers today that a major overhaul is needed to the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme. The levels of stress and anxiety over all the new policies are justified and a lot of work needs to be done to restore the relationship of trust between Welsh Government and farmers.” 

He added, “Farmers need an agricultural policy that underpins local food production and support for securing resilient agricultural businesses and rural communities which is vitally important to Pembrokeshire. As the current policy stands, we are anticipating 5,500 jobs lost, a £200m hit to farm business incomes and 11% less livestock in Wales.” 

Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire MS, Samuel Kurtz said: “Agriculture is the backbone of our local economy, yet the fear in the sector at the Welsh Labour Government’s plans are real. From TB and NVZs to the Sustainable Farming Scheme, Welsh agriculture has been under sustained attack by the Labour Government.”

“Working closely with Stephen, we’ve helped give a voice to our farmers either at the Senedd or in Westminster, to ensure that those fears are heard by the Labour Government in Cardiff.” 

“A prosperous farming sector is good for our local economy and good for our environment. Huge thanks to the local NFU Cymru team for the visit and the honesty in which they outlined the impact of the Welsh Labour Government’s policies on farmers.”

Roger Lewis told this newspaper: “It’s been good to welcome both Samuel  and Stephen out to farm today, there are a number of factors which are really adding to the pressure on farming businesses at the moment, including of course Welsh Government NVZ regulations, the TB situation in Wales and changes to support arrangements for farmers under the Sustainable Farming Scheme and we are grateful to Samuel for keeping up the pressure in Cardiff on all of these issues which are in the control of Welsh Government.  When it comes to Westminster, NFU Cymru is keen to emphasise the importance of UK Governments making the right funding available via UK Treasury to support farmers in Wales, and we look to Stephen to help argue the case there.”

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Politics

Jane Hurtt demands urgent overhaul of energy market

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WALES’ social justice minister has called for an urgent overhaul of the energy market.

Jane Hutt warned that energy costs will remain almost double pre-crisis levels despite a decrease in the price cap from April.

She said: “The energy market needs a complete overhaul, so that customers are treated fairly no matter where they live and investment is made into local communities.”

Carolyn Thomas, a Labour backbencher, said it is a disgrace that standing charges, which hit those in fuel poverty the most, have been allowed to increase.

She told the chamber: “Standing charges also disproportionately impact my residents in north Wales, who are subject to the highest standing charges in the UK, and will be paying over £95 more than those in London.”

Ms Hutt recognised the injustice faced by people in north Wales, saying she has regularly called on the UK Government to introduce reforms.

She said: “There are two issues – the postcode lottery around the amounts charged, and the fact that costs are applied even when people have used very little or no electricity.”

The minister told the chamber north Wales households are hard done by because they live close to sources of affordable, renewable energy which is exported.

Ms Hutt said she has met the new chair of Ofgem and the Welsh Government has responded to a consultation on standing charges.

She said: “We need a solution that is fair to low-income and low-usage households, and that doesn’t continue to disadvantage households in north Wales.”

Delyth Jewell, who represents South Wales East, described the failure of the energy market as an inevitable consequence of privatisation.

Plaid Cymru’s deputy leader said: “It’s failed consumers, who have to pay extortionate prices for the basic necessity of staying warm enough to live.”

Ms Jewell warned that Ofgem’s new price cap will provide scarce comfort for many families.

She said: “It will do little to help households who still have prepayment meters being installed forcibly in their homes, a third of whom have been forced into self-disconnecting this year.

“And let’s not use nice language to hide the truth here – self-disconnecting isn’t a choice, it is enforced privation, it is state-sanctioned destitution.”

During social justice questions on March 6, Ms Hutt reiterated that major reform is needed as she urged Ofgem and the UK Government to take responsibility.

Criticising a lack of progress, she called for the introduction of a social tariff to help low-income households with their energy bills.

Jack Sargeant, who led a petitions committee inquiry into prepayment meters, warned there is nothing strict or tough about Ofgem’s new code.

He told MSs: “The disability charity, Scope, have recently said there are serious gaps in the new code, meaning that vulnerable people could still be forced onto prepayment meters.”

The Labour MS for Alyn and Deeside criticised Ofgem for failing to provide a response to the petitions committee’s report.

Mr Hutt agreed that it is an unacceptable way to treat a parliamentary inquiry, saying: “We need confidence that Ofgem is treating the Senedd with equal respect to Westminster.”

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