, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy Priorities
Well, could I first of all congratulate the Member on his appointment to this important opposition position? I look forward to engaging with him, both in the course of scrutiny in this Chamber, but also more widely as well. There is no monopoly on good ideas…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy Priorities
Partnership will be critical at every level. We will work closely with businesses, who understand the barriers to growth in real time. We will identify the barriers firms face, assign clear responsibility for resolving them, and ensure that they are addressed…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy Priorities
This is not about lowering standards, it's about improving how the Government and its partners work, being clearer about priorities and faster in decision making to join up the systems on which businesses depend. A key challenge we must address is business…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy Priorities
That's why this Government is placing productivity at the heart of its approach. Productivity is the foundation of long-term prosperity. It underpins wages, living standards and competitiveness. Today, Wales continues to lag behind, with productivity around…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy Priorities
Thank you very much, Llywydd. Wales is open for business. We are a nation with considerable economic strengths. Across our country, we see thriving enterprises, globally competitive industries, strong universities, a highly skilled workforce, and real…
, Plenary
Nomination of the First Minister under Standing Order 8
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Industry Wales: evidence session with the Chief Executive and Chair
Okay. Thank you.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Industry Wales: evidence session with the Chief Executive and Chair
The new administration now is going to have to make a decision in terms of a successor body, a replacement, or whatever they decide to do. It would be really useful to have a detailed evaluation of the entire history of Industry Wales, so that there's a body…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Industry Wales: evidence session with the Chief Executive and Chair
The point you're making is a holistic view of the effectiveness is also a review of the Welsh Government as the sponsor, and their engagement, their setting of clear parameters in terms of KPIs. So, there are issues there for them, which aren't, from what…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Industry Wales: evidence session with the Chief Executive and Chair
Could I ask you a slightly different question then, as well, in terms of the landscape, the change in the landscape? One of the things that is referred to is the UK industrial strategy. To what extent has that been a driver, and the implicit assumption that…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Industry Wales: evidence session with the Chief Executive and Chair
Can I ask about the timing of this decision? Does it strike you—? I don't want to tempt you into political commentary, but just the timing, given that it's so close to an election. And the landscape, if you like, within Wales, of economic development delivery…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Industry Wales: evidence session with the Chief Executive and Chair
Yes. Okay, thank you.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Industry Wales: evidence session with the Chief Executive and Chair
Thank you.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Industry Wales: evidence session with the Chief Executive and Chair
And do you think that this whole episode will have enhanced or damaged the credibility of the Welsh Government in the wider business community?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Industry Wales: evidence session with the Chief Executive and Chair
The framework document that set out the parameters for the relationship between the Welsh Government and Industry Wales talked about fostering a relationship, and I'm quoting now, 'based on mutual trust and respect and open and honest communication.' In your…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Industry Wales: evidence session with the Chief Executive and Chair
Yes. Okay.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Industry Wales: evidence session with the Chief Executive and Chair
I mean, you are Industry Wales, aren't you? You know, just from your own experience, is this how a business, for example, would make this kind of decision, based on a report done with Copilot without a proper cost-benefit analysis with numbers attached, or at…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Industry Wales: evidence session with the Chief Executive and Chair
And were there numbers in the review, or was it just kind of qualitative statements, which can sometimes be impressionistic? Was there a focus on outcomes? Was there an attempt to look at a sort of cost-benefit analysis of the different options and risks…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Industry Wales: evidence session with the Chief Executive and Chair
Yes, just to drill into that for a second, for example, what Copilot will do is it will give its own weighting to certain voices, and unless you're actually transparent about that and ask the AI, if you like, then you might easily give—. The AI itself might…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Industry Wales: evidence session with the Chief Executive and Chair
And were the—? So, there's a relatively small set of interviews, with unnamed organisations, even; they're not set out in the report. Were the statements checked for accuracy, for example, to your knowledge, from reading the review?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Industry Wales: evidence session with the Chief Executive and Chair
Just for me to understand that, much of the evidence, you're saying, confirmed the need for a bespoke, Wales-specific entity—from what you're saying. But the recommended option then is to get rid of Industry Wales and rely on UK-based business organisations…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Industry Wales: evidence session with the Chief Executive and Chair
Do you have some concerns that you want to share with us just in terms of the quality of research that you would expect in any piece of work, really?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Industry Wales: evidence session with the Chief Executive and Chair
You've seen the review report now, yes?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Industry Wales: evidence session with the Chief Executive and Chair
Yes. Good morning. From what you've just shared with us, I wouldn't categorise this as an open-ended evidence-based review. It seemed as if, from what you were saying, they already had a preferred outcome in mind, and the review was a means to that end.
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
My constituency includes a number of small schools, some of them in deeply rural areas, but some of them are in post-industrial communities, and, at present, no consideration is given in the school organisation code to small schools that don't come under the…
