Speeches by Davies.

“I can assure you that we are very much bringing this to the attention of the Treasury—with little effect at the moment, but we will keep plugging. As you keep plugging about the train investment, we will keep plugging about inheritance tax.”

“DrMz, a youth organisation in Caerfyrddin, provides a safe space for diverse young people. The young farmers’ clubs also provide life skills that are used in public office, including public speaking, the arts and chairing meetings, for young people in our rural communities. Children’s services are devolved in Wales, bu…”

“Well, business and the local economy, because both are intrinsically linked.”

“Carmarthenshire county council secured half a million pounds through the UK shared prosperity fund in August 2024 to carry out improvement works in Carmarthen town centre, along with match funding improvements in ten of our rural market towns. That money is being used to repair pavements, improve car park entrances and…”

“The reason I ask is because as part of our pack it shows that most of our trade is with Europe, not the US. We tend to look elsewhere, but most of our trade is on our doorstep. That is the simple reason why I asked. Diolch yn fawr.”

“My second question was about jobs but that has already been answered by Dr Jones, so I will throw a bit of a curve ball here towards you. I hope you do not mind, Chair. Do you think that being part of the customs union would help businesses in Holyhead and secure the Port of Holyhead? Yes or no, it does not have to be …”

“I have a quick comment. I think the Smart Towns system is working well. There is so much information that we can get from that across the whole of Wales, which helps businesses tailor their opening times. Knowing exactly when that footfall is coming into your town is so important, isn’t it? I know you have touched on t…”

“In Wales, rugby is of course a part of our culture and national identity, and international tournaments such as the Six Nations are an integral part of our national calendar. Caerfyrddin, my constituency, has produced a plethora of first-class players. There are far too many to name, although perhaps I should drop in o…”

“Absolutely. I am coming to my solutions, so I hope the Treasury will listen. I have three solutions that I think would work, because there are alternatives to this policy. The first is that abolishing capital business asset rollover relief could have provided a more targeted measure to tackle wealthy individuals buying…”

“Diolch yn fawr, Mr Stringer. First, I want to thank all hon. Members for their contributions today. I appreciate their words, interventions and speeches. This is so important for food security but for us in Wales it is also, as has been mentioned, about the Welsh language and our culture. As I mentioned in my speech, t…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered the impact of changes to Agricultural Property Relief. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interest as a tenant dairy farmer. In Wales, 80% of our land is given over to farming, an…”

“Absolutely. We all know that is the case.”

“Of the clients that Eirian mentioned, five of them will not come under the tax liability because they have very small farms with off-farm income, they have transferred their farms following ill health, or they have significant debt that offsets the value of their farms. It is clear that the assessments of the impact of…”

“I absolutely agree with the hon. Lady, and perhaps I should mention that Meadow Foods is the company that takes the milk from our farm—so we are that close to one another. I will say more about that issue as I move through my speech. The lack of any data on the particular effects of the changes in Wales is a genuine pr…”

“I thank the hon. Lady for that intervention. I am coming on to solutions in a minute; I hope that the Minister will listen to my proposed options. Extending the existing scope of APR to land managed under environmental agreements with or on behalf of, for example, the Government or public bodies also suggests that foun…”

“As someone who has lived and worked the land all my life, I totally agree with the hon. Member. It is something that is within our soul; it is not just a trading issue.”

“I totally agree. Nobody understands those fields better than the farmer who has worked that land. They know where those wet corners are and they know where they should not tread during certain times. The sustainable farming scheme—the SFS—is coming out in Wales next year, and it is about nature restoration, so I absolu…”

“Diolch yn fawr. I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. I should add that the wider economy will lose another vital source of food production. If that land is taken, it will never go back into food production. My hon. Friend mentioned the effect on Wales, and there is a knock-on effect on the Welsh language: 43% of tho…”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention and I totally agree. Indeed, I will give further details about that issue later in my speech. It is also clear that industry experts were not consulted on the changes prior to the announcement, even though consultation could have led to a fairer and more appropriate solut…”

“I do not know whether the Minister would like to do so now or at the end. It is up to him.”