1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
Okay. But, obviously, we expect this to be a growth area in the future, given the fact that more and more people are becoming aware of this as an opportunity in terms of a disposal of their business interests. We're going to look at the green business loan…
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
I guess you can only help those that come forward asking for your help, right, as an organisation. It's more about promoting yourselves as someone that they can come to if they need to for financial support.
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
Okay. Luke Fletcher.
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
Thank you. We're going to bring Hefin in now—Hefin David.
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
Okay. Thank you for that. Sarah Murphy.
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
I see, I see. Rhian, did you want to add anything before we move on to—?
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
Okay.
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
Before you do, Rhian, could you just—? Net promoter score—what is that? Help me.
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
Obviously, we were very pleased to see that the target was achieved in terms of the number of businesses supported over the past five years, and you've clearly had some discussions with the Welsh Government about the rationale or the reasons for not being…
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
Okay. And is that a similar ratio for the previous—?
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
And what is that current split?
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
—in terms of those jobs. And in terms of the split between jobs created and jobs safeguarded, the ratio of that split is also rather important, isn't it?
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
Again, I understand that, but if you're set a target, you've got to try and do your best to achieve it, don't you? So, when you exclude the COVID-related business, if you like, you've still fallen short, haven't you—
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
Is that right?
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
Can I just turn to one of the other targets? That was for 20,000 jobs created or safeguarded. That, again, is another one that you appear to have fallen short by. How many jobs have actually been created or safeguarded?
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
—and they're comfortable with shifting the dial, as it were, in order to respond to the current market conditions, yes?
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
So, you've had that dialogue with the Welsh Government—
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
But this is an overall global target that you've got. It's not part of what you do, so you've got to get to the 1:1.15, haven't you? You've got to strain every muscle to aim for the target that you've been set by the Government.
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
So, what are you doing to get there?
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
But obviously that is still your target, right, the 1:1.15 ratio?
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
But, obviously, that explosion in the growth in the market and property prices has been relatively recent, hasn't it? So, has your investment strategy changed over the five years since your establishment?
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
So, it's the emphasis on property investment, you think—
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
Thank you very much for those opening remarks. We do recognise, I think, many of the successes that the development bank has enjoyed over the past five years. But, of course, they've also got to be measured against the Welsh Government's own targets that were…
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
No, no. The microphone's working.
1 Mawrth 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Craffu blynyddol – Banc Datblygu Cymru
Welcome back to the Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee. We're now moving on to item 4, our annual scrutiny session with the Development Bank of Wales. And I'm very pleased to be able to welcome to our meeting today: Gareth Bullock, the chair of the…
