Written question WQ97105
- Asked by
- Luke FletcherPlaid
- To be answered by
- Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 16 days
Question
Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on the work to develop a made in Wales brand as a way of championing people and businesses in Wales to buy Welsh products and services?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
The Cymru Wales Brand pillars consistently promote Welsh products across a diverse range of sectors to both domestic and international audiences. This work highlights the exceptional talent, skills, and creativity found in Wales, working in collaboration with leading Welsh brands and the Welsh Government’s global network of offices. This includes participation in key global events, exhibitions, and activations - such as the recent Expo 2025 in Japan.
There are several initiatives are in place to encourage businesses and the public to buy Welsh products. These include Visit Wales’ emphasis on creating a Sense of Place in visitor experiences and the provision of a Food Tourism Toolkit for businesses. Food and Drink Wales also runs communication campaigns and media engagement to encourage retailers and hospitality providers to source and stock Welsh products, supported by the annual Value of Welshness research, which shows strong consumer demand for Welsh goods.
The Procurement Act 2023 and Social Partnerships and Public Procurement Act (SPPP Act) aim to create a more accessible and transparent public procurement process for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and third sector organisations in Wales. This should make it easier for those organisations to compete for public sector contracts. Part 3 of SPPP Act, being laid early next year, will also introduce metrics to allow contracting authorities to measure and report on their progress against well-being goals. The Welsh Government Commercial and Procurement Delivery team lets and manages a programme of 31 collaborative procurement agreements used across the Welsh Public sector and is actively promoted as part of the Wales Collaborative Procurement Pipeline which promotes Welsh based collaborative agreements, both from the Welsh Government and other Welsh public bodies. Together these actions promote the purchasing of made-in-Wales products and services.
Business Wales actively supports entrepreneurship and business growth, offering procurement guidance and assistance to help Welsh companies access public sector supply chains and broaden their market reach.