Supporting the Agricultural Sector in South Wales East

Part of 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at 3:20 pm on 19 June 2024.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Huw Irranca-Davies Huw Irranca-Davies Labour 3:20, 19 June 2024

Natasha, thank you for that follow-up, and it is an important question. When we chose to put out there in full public transparency the economic impact assessment previously, we did it in full knowledge that actually it was two years out of date and didn't reflect the consultation as was, but it was a decision by Government to put whatever we could out there, to try and help engage the debate. Actually, it probably skewed the debate a little bit, because we were working on out-of-date scenarios. But we do need to do that before—. When we have—. In the preparatory phase we have now, which is working through the detailed design—. When we have that detailed design, then we need to do that impact assessment based on what the scheme will actually look like, because that is right and fair to the farming and land management community generally.

One thing to be aware of as well, as I've repeated in this Chamber many times as well, is that the farming sector, the agricultural sector, has not been immune from shedding jobs in the last 20 or 30 years. With all the criticisms of CAP policy within the EU, one thing it did was give a degree of certainty, but it didn't avoid the shedding away of jobs, the consolidation of farms, the loss of rural jobs, and then with the impact on the rural schools and communities and so on. So, what we need to do in the design of this is have something that will actually sustain those small and medium-scale farms in all parts of Wales. So, yes, I'm committed to bringing forward a proper impact assessment when it's ready, but I think we were right to actually publish it. Other Governments chose not to publish. We published. It was a case of 'publish and be damned', and in some ways we were, but it was the right thing to do.

You also mentioned the BPS. We took, I think, the right decision as we go into the preparatory phase to say we will—it's a risk, but we will— provide the certainty to go ahead with the BPS for the year ahead, as well as providing it at 100 per cent last year—which they didn't do, of course, in England—to give that certainty. But, going forward, what we need is a sustainable farming scheme that is ready to go at the point it is ready, and brings everybody with it, and every farmer who wants to opt into it can do, and it's worth taking just a little bit of time just to get that right.

Cabinet

The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.

It is chaired by the prime minister.

The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.

Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.

However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.

War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.

From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.

The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.