Cabinet meeting: 27 March 2023

• Rt. Hon. Mark Drakeford MS (Chair)
• Lesley Griffiths MS
• Rebecca Evans MS
• Vaughan Gething MS
• Jane Hutt MS
• Jeremy Miles MS
• Eluned Morgan MS
• Mick Antoniw MS

• Hannah Blythyn MS
• Dawn Bowden MS
• Lynne Neagle MS
• Julie Morgan MS
• Lee Waters MS

Apologies

• Julie James MS

Officials

• Des Clifford, Director Office of the First Minister
• Rebecca Dunn, Head of Cabinet Division
• Toby Mason, Head of Strategic Communications
• Jane Runeckles, Special Adviser 
• Madeleine Brindley, Special Adviser
• Alex Bevan, Special Adviser 
• Daniel Butler, Special Adviser
• Ian Butler, Special Adviser
• Kate Edmunds, Special Adviser
• Sara Faye, Special Adviser
• Sam Hadley, Special Adviser
• David Hooson, Special Adviser
• Clare Jenkins, Special Adviser
• Owen John, Special Adviser
• Phillipa Marsden, Special Adviser
• Tom Woodward, Special Adviser
• Christopher W Morgan, Head of Cabinet Secretariat (minutes)
• Damian Roche, Cabinet Secretariat
• Catrin Sully, Cabinet Office
• Tracey Burke, Director General Climate Change & Rural Affairs
• Jo-Anne Daniels, Director General Education, Social Justice and Welsh Language
• Reg Kilpatrick, Director General, COVID-19 recovery and Local Government
• Tim Moss, Chief Operating Officer
• Andrew Slade, Director General, Economy, Treasury and Constitution
• Helen Lentle, Director Legal Services
• Helena Bird, Permanent Secretary’s office
• Emma Spear, Health and Social Services Director General's Office

1.1 Cymeradwyodd y Cabinet gofnodion y 20 Mawrth / Cabinet approved the minutes of 20 March.

Freeports in Wales

2.1 The First Minister advised Cabinet that on Thursday the previous week he was in Anglesey, where he, with the Prime Minister, announced the 2 successful Welsh bids for freeports. They were for Holyhead and Celtic, which covered Milford Haven and Port Talbot.

Meeting with the Prime Minister

2.2 Ahead of that announcement the First Minister had a separate meeting with the Prime Minister.

Marine Energy Wales Conference

2.3 The First Minister informed Cabinet that he had also attended the Marine Energy Wales Conference in Swansea the previous week, which had been well attended, with over 500 delegates.

3.1 Cabinet considered the Plenary grid and noted that voting time would be around 6:50pm on Tuesday and approximately 6:45pm on Wednesday.

4.1 The Minister for Finance and Local Government introduced the paper, which provided an analysis of the themes from the consultation exercise on the proposed visitor levy.

4.2 There had been significant engagement through the consultation with businesses, local authorities, and the third sector ahead of and during the consultation period. During an event in Portmeirion, the minister heard how people thought a levy could work and some of the benefits it could bring to local communities.

4.3 The analysis of the consultation responses was thorough and there had been constructive views provided by respondents, which would need to be considered before finalising policy decisions.

4.4 Cabinet welcomed the paper and noted that there had been over 1200 responses to the consultation exercise.

Cabinet Secretariat
March 2023