Areithiau a chwestiynau

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: y Dirprwy Brif Weinidog ac Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Newid Hinsawdd a Materion Gwledig ac Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio

Peter will come in on this point.

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: y Dirprwy Brif Weinidog ac Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Newid Hinsawdd a Materion Gwledig ac Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio

I believe Ken Skates is due to make a further statement, a written statement, on this. I'm not sure if it's already been provided over the last couple of days, but it's on the way. Broadly speaking, the way in which we were able to respond in partnership with…

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: y Dirprwy Brif Weinidog ac Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Newid Hinsawdd a Materion Gwledig ac Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio

Do you mean generally as a result of Brexit, or because of the Holyhead issue?

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: y Dirprwy Brif Weinidog ac Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Newid Hinsawdd a Materion Gwledig ac Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio

I would just emphasise the point about the challenge being in relation to the quantum of funding. So, colleagues will remember that, some time ago, I made a written statement in my finance role where I showed our calculations in terms of there being a £772…

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

I'll perhaps ask Duncan to come in. I know that the existing programme, at least, was due to, as you say, come to an end in 2025.

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

Since the first allocation, the programme has now invested over £40 million, so we would obviously want to continue investing and supporting jobs and growth in the area. To date, the programme has created 298,000 sq ft of new and refurbished floor space, and…

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

Yes. It comes, essentially, through our budget and then to the city and growth deals.

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

That's funding that the UK Government has reprofiled, so it doesn't change the overall quantum of funding coming from the UK Government, just the profile across different financial years.

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

We've got the Deputy First Minister with responsibility for rural affairs in next, and largely the support that we provide is through his portfolio, although I did provide a written statement recently alongside him in terms of what we're doing in the planning…

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

Within the draft budget, the funding that we're providing is more in the space of the publicly owned energy, rather than trying to lever in the private investment, because the way in which we lever in the private investment is more around the policy choices…

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

And the Welsh Government energy service, so that's the £21 million that Duncan referred to, is available for the public sector to be able to provide them with support to be able to move towards that challenging test that we've set in terms of net zero by 2030.

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

Or creating new—

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

I think that the funding that you’re specifically talking about is the property BEL, which looks at how we provide space and buildings for businesses. We’re looking to develop those very much in a way that contributes to our route to net zero. Tomorrow, I’ll…

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

In terms of energy, we’ve been really careful to understand that we need to be doing more as a Welsh Government in that particular space. So, you’ll see funding allocated within the budget towards both Ynni Cymru and Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru. Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru…

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

So, we've already said, for the next financial year, that we'll be providing the 40 per cent support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors. This was always was a time-limited response to the pandemic. Ultimately, businesses do need to be sustainable…

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

I think, often, in discussions with the sector and with representative bodies of the sector, you actually only hear about the tourism levy, the 182 days. What you don't hear about, of course, is the huge funding that we've put into Visit Wales. So, the work…

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

Well, we listen to the sector through the regional fora and also the Welsh Local Government Association's economic forum. I meet directly, myself, with representative bodies of the sector, but then, of course, speak to individuals who work in the sector as…

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

I think we offer a very wide range of support. So, there is a balance, I think, when we're setting up specific grant schemes in order to respond to specific challenges or Welsh Government desires in terms of more sustainability for the sector, whereas the…

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

We always try and aim to be as flexible as we can in the support that we provide, but, equally, you know, we have to ensure that, when we're providing public money to businesses or organisations, we are expecting something very clear from that money as well…

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

So, all of that £1 million will provide a capital fund for Welsh tourism businesses to futureproof themselves, and particularly to do so in terms of weatherproofing. So, we listened to the tourism sector through the barometer survey, which colleagues will be…

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

It's a really interesting point, though, because this budget is different to some of my other colleagues', in the sense that we do have choices. Almost in any area of the whole portfolio you can put additional money in and you can do more, but where you…

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

I would, Chair, as well, encourage any colleague to visit the community hub in Aberavon shopping centre and talk to the people who are there, because you'll hear from them then very direct stories about people who have come in, and not just workers…

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

Yes. We are able to share some of those figures in relation to Tata. So far, I think around 15 Tata employees have been supported through the ReAct+ programme, and 41 people whose jobs have been made redundant from the supply chain have also accessed those…

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

I think money is part of the story sometimes, but not always. I think what’s more important often for international investors is the skills offer that we have, the property offer that we have, and that kind of wider ecosystem of support that we have in Wales…

15 Ionawr 2025, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Cyllideb Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru 2025-26: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio a'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol

I think also there’s a role for the UK Government in this space as well in terms of using its international offices to market Wales as well. It can’t just be about marketing England; actually, they do have a responsibility to market Wales, to make those links…