, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: New Development Agency for Wales
I'm very grateful to the Member. We were looking, really, for a very senior business leader with experience, really, of running large commercial organisations, somebody that had strong Welsh links and a shrewd understanding of the interrelationship between…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: New Development Agency for Wales
Well, those are exactly the questions that we have some answers to ourselves, but we're testing them against the best in the world. So, we are talking to people about which are the best start-up and scale-up ecosystems in the world—what can we learn from…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: New Development Agency for Wales
Well, I think that it certainly would help us greatly as a nation, I think, if we were able to achieve multi-year budgetary cycles, and that is something that the Westminster Government, I think, should agree to. Because in all of the many important things…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: New Development Agency for Wales
It's certainly absolutely key that our national productivity mission and closing the productivity gap is translated into real outcomes in terms of people's lives, which is why, as I set out in my statement, this ultimately is about raising living standards…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: New Development Agency for Wales
When the Labour Government was elected in 1974 with the promise to create a development agency, when did they create the development agency? In 1977—three years. Here I am, six weeks in. Maybe I could be accused of being too open. I'm telling you about every…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: New Development Agency for Wales
I was pleased to be able to address the board of the development bank last week, and we had an extensive discussion as well with senior executives prior to that meeting. I think that the development bank is an important element within our economic landscape…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: New Development Agency for Wales
I'm extremely grateful to the Member for that question. Very broadly, we've already identified that the main focus of the agency will be to enable businesses that have the potential to scale up to do that. That means tailored support, identifying the exact…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: New Development Agency for Wales
I am trying to keep my answers short, but let me answer one of the questions. In terms of governance, yes, we do think this should be a statutory body, so our plan is to bring forward legislation fairly soon, as soon as we can. I can't give you a specific…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: New Development Agency for Wales
I'm very grateful to the Member for the spirit of her remarks and the way in which she's engaged as well with me outside of the Siambr. I think these are good questions to ask, and some of them are very much at the core of the process that we're going to go…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: New Development Agency for Wales
I thank the Member for his response. I'd just like to focus a little bit on some of the areas where I think there is common ground between us. In 'Making Wales Work', which was the larger policy document that was the basis for our economic policy set out in…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: New Development Agency for Wales
The knowledge that we need to inform the design phase of the agency already exists in businesses right across Wales and in the strong connections that Wales has further afield. That's why the advisory panel will be comprised of a core group of individuals…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: New Development Agency for Wales
I want the new agency to lead a proactive and highly targeted approach to attracting inward investment into Wales, building on established strengths while sharpening focus and promoting Wales's competitive strengths internationally. Innovation is central to…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: New Development Agency for Wales
Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd. When I stood in the Siambr to set out our national productivity mission, I committed to updating the Senedd on next steps in establishing a new national development agency for Wales. Less than three weeks into this…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
I thank the Member. She raised a number of issues, which I think, in order to respond fully and accurately to, I will have to write to her, because, as I said earlier, I think it's important, as she will fully understand, in terms of the reassurance that we…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
I thank the Member for her contribution. I think it's important that we provide reassurance and we don't add to any uncertainty in this regard. What she's referring to there simply isn't relevant in this case, because the voltage involved is at the extra high…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
We will, obviously, do everything that we can to support the project, which, as I said, is of such strategic importance to Wales. I've already had an initial discussion with the CEO on Monday, not just to discuss the fire, but also the reports in relation to…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
I would also like to put on record our thanks to the emergency services—the mid and west Wales fire service—who attended the fire at around 8 p.m. on 3 June. The fire crews left the site on Friday 5 June. It's certainly something that Tata obviously wanted to…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
I received a report on the impact of the fire when I spoke with the company's chief executive officer this week. All personnel were accounted for and evacuated from the area safely. The company is surveying the damage and considering next steps in partnership…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy Priorities
I agree. I thank the Member for all those very pertinent questions, actually. We have many of the raw ingredients of success, as I've described, and one of them, actually, is we do have great universities with highly relevant subject-matter expertise. And…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy Priorities
I think that's a really great question, and I really look forward, maybe, to having a further conversation with the Member, drawing upon her own evident experience and expertise. I think, how can we get it—? You're absolutely right. We need, actually, if…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy Priorities
I really welcome the Member's question and you're right: I think it's long been a shared understanding among those who have looked at the question of why Wales, over many decades, has underperformed compared to its potential that it's this missing middle. We…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy Priorities
I think that the Member is absolutely right to raise the question of energy costs: it's true for individual consumers and families; it's true also for businesses as well. So, I think that the question for us is: can we get smart and creative in using the…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy Priorities
The tourism sector is an absolutely key part of our economy and it has great potential to grow. We don't, for example, at the moment, achieve a sufficient proportion of international visitors to the UK. I was glad to welcome some Canadians in the inaugural…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy Priorities
I'm really grateful to the Member for putting this right at the core of our discussion this afternoon, because if we think about the engine of the economy, the absolutely central engine is the potential of our young people, which far too often, now and in our…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy Priorities
I really welcome the spirit in which the Member has offered her remarks, and I certainly will be taking up her offer of working together, where it is possible, to design solutions to the problems that the people we all represent collectively face in their…
