Business support and investment

Jenny RathboneLabour

29 January 2026, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Inward investment: Panel 5

Fine. So, the 10-year plan will probably satisfy him; that's what he wants to see. Moving now to offshore wind contracts and the important announcements we had earlier this month, how confident are you that Wales is in a position to maximise the potential benefits for ensuring the supply chains are…

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Inward investment”Official Record

Rebecca EvansLabour

29 January 2026, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Inward investment: Panel 5

We're undertaking work of that nature at the moment, because we've got the £160 million proposal for a 10-year investment zone, which will have its focus on semiconductors. That will be in the Newport area and in the Cardiff capital region. In that sense, that 10-year plan is being developed, and…

Tagged for: “investment zone”Official Record

Jenny RathboneLabour

29 January 2026, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Inward investment: Panel 5

But he's specifically asking for a long-term road map, to really enable us to build on these clusters, as well as their contribution to the wider regional ecosystem. For example, ensuring that these inward investors are introduced to existing companies in the areas they're landing in to enable them…

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Inward investment”Official Record

Rebecca EvansLabour

29 January 2026, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Inward investment: Panel 5

The compound semiconductor sector is absolutely one of our priority areas for our promotion efforts globally, but particularly in countries such as the USA, Japan, Taiwan. Those are areas where we already have good leads and where we've attended some of those international expos in relation to…

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Inward investment”Official Record

Jenny RathboneLabour

29 January 2026, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Inward investment: Panel 5

Going back to semiconductors, we heard very positive evidence of the key role that Cardiff and Swansea universities have played in providing that pipeline of skills to attract investors to come to south-east Wales, and other places, because of that. But Howard Rupprecht of CSconnected, who seems to…

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Inward investment”Official Record

Rebecca EvansLabour

29 January 2026, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Inward investment: Panel 5

Officials are currently in discussion with the development bank about expanding the Wales commercial property fund. Colleagues will be aware of our property development plan. That really is about unlocking those strategically important sites. Alun Davies and I talk about this a lot, particularly in…

Tagged for: “development bank”Official Record

Luke FletcherPlaid

29 January 2026, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Inward investment: Panel 5

…for example, that used the example of potentially expanding the commercial property fund that the development bank operates. Is that something the Government would be open to?

Tagged for: “development bank”Official Record

Rebecca EvansLabour

29 January 2026, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Inward investment: Panel 5

No. The vast majority of invitations were through our overseas teams, but then, also, our specialist teams in the core areas that we wanted to promote. So, our team that deals with compound semiconductors, for example, they knew exactly who our targets would be globally, and they worked then with…

Tagged from the title of its item or question: “Inward investment”Official Record

Andrew RT DaviesConservative

29 January 2026, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Inward investment: Panel 5

You talked about two invitations you delivered personally at embassies, and telephone conversations, to promote the inward investment conference. How many conversations to actually bring people to the conference did you personally have to have, Cabinet Secretary? Because this is a critical point…

Tagged for: “inward investment”Official Record

Rebecca EvansLabour

29 January 2026, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Inward investment: Panel 5

I think one of the benefits, certainly from an inward investment perspective, of the current system, and having our trade and invest team here within Welsh Government, is just that easy access to Ministers. I don't think that you can overestimate how important that is for businesses, especially…

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Luke FletcherPlaid

29 January 2026, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Inward investment: Panel 5

…you think something like an arm's-length body would fulfil that role, potentially? Obviously, the Welsh Development Agency is something that has been discussed more broadly, not just by parties, but businesses as well. Do you think that's something to consider? I'm just thinking as well of the…

Tagged for: “Development Agency”Official Record

Rebecca EvansLabour

29 January 2026, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Inward investment: Panel 5

…are changing quite rapidly on the ground in terms of investment and the scope for even further large inward investment projects. We've heard, for example—. I was in a meeting with colleagues in the Federation of Small Businesses and the Confederation of British Industry, and they were saying about a…

Tagged for: “inward investment”Official Record

Rebecca EvansLabour

29 January 2026, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Inward investment: Panel 5

…shop. I do appreciate things are moving very quickly. So, we've got the free ports, for example, the investment zones, and the landscape, I think, is changing. But, in terms of a one-stop shop, that is there through the trade and invest team, and they will try and work through a named contact, in…

Tagged for: “investment zones”Official Record