, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
The future of Port Talbot is absolutely critical, and despite the sad news at the moment and what that means for the workforce at Tata, I think that there is a really exciting and bright future for Port Talbot. You can see our long-term commitment in our…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
I'm very grateful for the question, and I think I would recognise the way in which Mike Hedges has categorised and described the enterprise zones of the 1980s. I know that he has big concerns about how they drew investment out from city centres and the impact…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
Over several years, the Welsh Government-designated enterprise zones have continued to deliver against a challenging economic backdrop. Numerous jobs have been supported across the zones, while public sector investment has enabled a wide range of…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
Yes, thank you very much for raising that. I think that that's really recognised by the movement behind the banking hubs, in the sense of the importance of them in communities right across Wales. I know that Catherine Fookes will be really pleased with the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
I'm grateful for the question and I recognise, as you do, the importance of those hubs and that they can provide a positive alternative. So, these are not things that the Welsh Government is either responsible for or funds directly, but we will absolutely be…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
I'm very grateful for the question. I think the circumstances that you've described in Ystrad Mynach really are a microcosm of what's been happening across Wales in the sense that 376 bank branches have closed in Wales since January 2015. That's an absolutely…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
We continue to press Cash Access UK, which leads on the development of shared banking hubs, to increase the pace of these in Wales. A total of 81 have been opened across the UK so far. Fifteen more are soon to be announced, with Monmouth included within the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
I absolutely come from the same place as you on this. Improving productivity is not about making people work harder. It's about making sure that people work in the environments that they need in order to be productive, and also that the businesses that they…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
So, lots in that question. But I think I absolutely have to recognise the reference that you made to Tata, because, of course, the closure of blast furnace 4 and the remaining heavy-end assets at Port Talbot very shortly will bring to an end traditional steel…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
I’m grateful for the question, and again for the welcome into post. It was really good to speak to you yesterday about your particular priorities and areas of expertise, recognising that we do have lots of areas that I’m sure we will work together on as well…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
I’m grateful for the question and absolutely, along with you, recognise the importance of community benefits, and also I think recognise the importance of making sure that those are sustained into the future. So, it’s not, as you say, necessarily one-off…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
First of all, I’d say thank you very much for the invitation to join you on Friday. I’m sorry that I’m not able to, due to a previous engagement, but I was very grateful for the invitation and I will absolutely make a point of visiting at another point…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
Well, first of all, I will start off by thanking Sam Kurtz very much for the warm welcome to the role, and I do very much look forward to working with you, and, also, to meet with Luke Fletcher as well. I know that there will be plenty of times when we have…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
Well, I just begin by reiterating that we are very focused on delivering the project in its entirety, and critical to that is the £25 million that the Welsh Government was able to provide back in March 2021, which enables the project to move forward. In terms…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
I'd be absolutely more than happy to reaffirm the Welsh Government's commitment to the project, and of course to recognise Lesley Griffiths's long-standing championing of this as well. Our enthusiasm for this is unquestionable. We do know that Wrexham AFC has…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
The Welsh Government is aligned with key partners in Wrexham to deliver this exciting project along Mold Road. Our shared ambitions of delivering an integrated public transport and active travel system and facilitating competitive international football in…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
I'm really grateful for that question, and, as Russell George says, it is a good problem to have, but definitely one that we need to be working to resolve. So, the property that we are able to provide and identify does form part of our Wales economic offer…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
I'm very grateful to Joyce Watson for raising this important issue this afternoon. As she rightly recognises, it's not a devolved issue, but that doesn't mean it's not an issue that the Welsh Government isn't concerned about. And, indeed, we recently made our…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
Our plan for supporting the economy across Wales is set out in our economic mission, namely ensuring a just transition to a green and productive economy, a platform for young people, fair work, skills and success, stronger partnerships for stronger regions…
, Plenary
Nomination of the First Minister under Standing Order 8
Eluned Morgan.
, Plenary
Short Debate: Confronting the crisis: Tackling youth homelessness in Wales
Our ending homelessness action plan, which includes youth-focused housing and support actions, sets out our vision for a Wales where everybody has a safe home that meets their needs and supports a healthy, successful and prosperous life. We're committed to…
, Plenary
Short Debate: Confronting the crisis: Tackling youth homelessness in Wales
Diolch. I'd like to thank Luke Fletcher for raising this very important matter this afternoon, but also all colleagues who have contributed to the debate. I want to reassure colleagues that preventing youth homelessness remains a priority for this Government…
, Plenary
Finance Committee Debate: Welsh Government's spending priorities for the 2025-26 budget
That's very kind; thank you. I do want to say 'thank you' to colleagues who have engaged with the questions around savings and the effectiveness of spend and also using other tools such as planning. I think that those are all really important interventions as…
, Plenary
Finance Committee Debate: Welsh Government's spending priorities for the 2025-26 budget
There are, of course, tools that the UK Government has available to it—for example, the announcements in respect of people with non-dom status, in respect of VAT for private schools. Those are a couple of areas where it has said that it will take action, and…
, Plenary
Finance Committee Debate: Welsh Government's spending priorities for the 2025-26 budget
Thank you. I welcome the opportunity to respond to the debate today, and very much want to thank the Chair of the Finance Committee and all of the Members who have contributed this afternoon, and of course everyone who took part in the committee's engagement…
