, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Tata Steel
I'm more than happy to commit to keep the Senedd Chamber informed as there are significant developments and areas that we can usefully comment on. When the Syndex report is made available, it will, I think, be necessary to ensure that the clarity of the…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Tata Steel
Well, I want to thank your grandfather, Patrick Murphy, for making the journey here and helping to be part of, not just the story of Ireland, but the future of Wales, and that's a common story that we should always be prepared to celebrate. On your point…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Tata Steel
Thank you. I should recognise that I am a former shop steward myself. I should also recognise that there is at least one other former trade union lawyer in the room, and at least one other full-time—no, two other full-time trade union representatives in their…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Tata Steel
I think the broad point is that we share a number of the concerns about what could happen. If you have the loss of all primary steel making you're then reliant on imports from other countries and the prices that you then have to pay. That is a challenge in…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Tata Steel
I think I should point out that today is an exercise in communicating with the wider workforce and the wider community who are concerned. Part of what we need to do in the Welsh Government is to remain honest brokers and honest interlocutors with everyone…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Tata Steel
Thank you for the question.
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Tata Steel
I'm grateful to the Member for pointing out the interconnected nature of choices that are made around Port Talbot and their direct impact on significant numbers of jobs in other parts of Wales, including Llanwern. And it was a really instructive visit, not…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Tata Steel
On the final point, it's what we want to see delivered—investment in port infrastructure. That has to come alongside clarity, and a pipeline for the offshore industry itself. The current indication of 4 to 4.5 GW of power doesn’t provide enough for businesses…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Tata Steel
Thank you, David. And I thank him for his early morning message to me last week requesting a meeting. Look, David Rees has been a consistent supporter for steel. You'd expect him to be with his constituency and being the chair of the cross-party group. And…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Tata Steel
Thank you for the comments. I think there were many areas where there was consistency in my statement and, indeed, my response to questions from Paul Davies—the points around a generally just transition; the need to have meaningful consultation with trade…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Tata Steel
Thank you for the comments and questions. I'll start with the Member's question about conversations with senior Tata representatives. The First Minister and I met with senior representatives from Tata today. We discussed again not so much wanting a…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Tata Steel
Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. On 15 September, Tata Steel and the UK Government announced a joint agreement on a proposal to invest in electric arc furnace steel making at the Port Talbot site, with a capital investment of £1.25 billion, including a grant from the…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Investment Zones
I think it's a fair question that the Member asks, and certainly it's helpful to clarify again: we're looking for a particular mission around investment zones to build on an area of comparative strength. This isn't a whole regional economic development plan…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Investment Zones
Diolch. Thank you for the kind words. Understanding what it's possible to do and to achieve and understanding how to deliver growth in a way that actually still aligns with what we want to do with our existing economic ambition has been really important in…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Investment Zones
I think I'd say two broad things. The first is that, as I've tried to set out in my statement, investment zones and the free-port policy are not the sum total of what this Government wants to see delivered. We're dealing with interventions from the UK…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Investment Zones
I'd be very happy to have a conversation with Airbus about any proposals that they are developing with partners for a dedicated skills and training centre. My understanding and outline is that they're not looking for something that is only for Airbus, but has…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Investment Zones
'Yes' is the short answer. To be fair, Mike Hedges regularly makes the point about the value and the importance of universities as part of our research and innovation infrastructure and the ecosystem that we're looking to develop. He made similar points…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Investment Zones
Thank you for the comments and questions. I'll deal first with the point around fair work. We've been really clear that we expect this to be part of any business case that is provided to us. It would also include some of the points you've also covered around…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Investment Zones
Thank you. I think there are four broad areas of questions there. I'll deal with the universities first. In each part of Wales, we're aware that across corporate joint committees, growth deal areas and within smaller areas people have been talking about this…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Investment Zones
Dirprwy Lywydd, we have been consistent in setting out that a piecemeal approach to regional economic policy at a UK level undermines potential growth opportunities and does not recognise need in a way that tackles poverty. We continue to call for the return…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Investment Zones
Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. I am pleased to be able to update Members on the latest discussions with the UK Government regarding investment zones. Three weeks ago I provided an update on the progress we are making to support stronger regional economic…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Progress Update on the Plan for Employability and Skills
I'm sorry, I should perhaps have dealt with this—it was one of the three points that Hefin David asked and I didn't come to. That was around the support we are providing through Working Wales for the mid-career reviews. Actually, we're seeing a decent amount…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Progress Update on the Plan for Employability and Skills
On personal learning accounts, we have invested more, and in this budget round we're going to have conversations around not just the scale of the investment but how flexible it is as well, to make sure that the benefit is as easily realised as possible, to…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Progress Update on the Plan for Employability and Skills
Funnily enough, I was having a conversation with, I think, Jones Bros Civil Engineering when I was in Morlais recently with other Ministers, and, indeed, the Tánaiste, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland, where, actually, they were looking…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Economy: Progress Update on the Plan for Employability and Skills
Thank you for the question and the points. Picking up on the question you asked the First Minister earlier today, we're not just talking about some of the things we're already doing to help with business productivity—and that is largely about skills, but…
