, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel
We speak to Tata regularly, and they are confident that the electric arc furnace will be ready for operation at the end of 2027, in line with the commitments that they've made. We know that the major contracts are in place, and work is already well under way…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel
Rebecca Evans, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
The Welsh Government's spending more now than we ever had on apprenticeships. Of course, Brexit was a significant issue in terms of how we were able to support apprentices. Of course, if there's more funding available for apprenticeships, I think it's always…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
I've been really clear—I think it was to this committee actually—that if there was additional funding available, then employability and skills and apprenticeships would be the priority for that. So, you did see, then, in the final budget that we were true to…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
And these are important things for Government to think about, but, obviously, for all of us as we start to think about the future.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
And a few weeks out from the dissolution of the Senedd—. I don't think we'll have time to perhaps put in place Alun's plans between now and then, but—
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
No, and I understand that the points that you're raising now are big, structural issues. There are very many views on local government reform and so on—
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
So, on planning pressures, I think that austerity had a significant role to play in that space, and, actually, we've asked the Royal Town Planning Institute, commissioned them, to do a piece of work looking at the planning services across Wales to understand…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
Some of that is because of all of those years of austerity and it was the planning teams that were decimated—
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
I think some of the work that we've had to do—. I was specifically talking about planning because that's so critical for business.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
So, one of the most important things that businesses say that we can do in terms of that enabling environment is a more streamlined and better planning system. Of course, we've got the new Infrastructure (Wales) Act 2024 coming in now. In December, some of…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
I think, in fairness, the decision around Ciner was more in relation to global factors than any support or lack of from Welsh Government.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
I haven't had any of those discussions, but I will, again, write to committee as to whether or not our officials have been involved in those particular discussions.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
—in that particular space. We do need to be working, as I say, closely with the investments that have already been made. There are some really good things happening in cyber, for example. So, there are areas of strength that we can certainly build up in that…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
Yes, so far. So, I do share the frustration—
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
I share the frustration in terms of the spend that has gone through the Tech Valleys programme. It's around £40 million thus far, but—
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
So, as I've said, we are working hard to work with the—. I know your views on the Tech Valleys programme and the Cardiff capital region and so on, but we're trying to bring those things together to ensure that the investment goes to where it's needed to…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
—ensure that the funding goes to areas where there is economic disadvantage. We've talked previously about that need to have a strategic approach to the investment that's been made in the Heads of the Valleys, and particularly so around things such as…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
So, again, I'd say, as an example, the local growth fund is absolutely about trying to—
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
This is the challenge that Alun sets out for us in terms of the—
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
Well, I can't speak on behalf of the UK Government, Chair, but I will say UK Government, I think, has been clear in its ambitions through the industrial strategy and the eight specific sectors that it's identified as areas for growth. Some of those are areas…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
Well, there's that side of it, but then also the other side is how do we move people seamlessly and easily to those jobs as well. So, within the south Wales metro, for example, trying to make sure that people can get easily to areas where there are—
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
We do see inward investment in all parts of Wales, and that's something that we always try to do when engaging with businesses overseas—to demonstrate actually that Wales has an awful lot to offer in all parts of Wales. We've got examples right across Wales…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
I think we do have really, really clear national planning policy through ‘Future Wales’ and ‘Planning Policy Wales’, but I also would defend that right for there to be local discretion where appropriate, so that people best placed to make decisions are able…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inward investment: Panel 5
Some of the legislation does apply universally across Wales, and examples would be permitted development rights, for example, but there can be exceptions in relation to national parks, listed buildings, conservation areas as well. There is a degree of…
