Ken Skates: We were waiting for the question. It was short in the end, but with a long introduction. The Member, this week, introduced his party’s strategy for investment and infrastructure with the national infrastructure commission. I welcome the paper, but the one glaring, obvious error in it is that he’s not been able to identify where, within the Government’s revenue budget, £700 million will...
Ken Skates: We’re taking a different approach to the franchise that will be operated from 2018 onwards, where we set the outcomes and then the bidders come to us with proposals to meet them. We recognise that the current franchise is not fit for purpose. The rolling stock is insufficient and is too old. What the consultation that we carried out shows us is that passengers feel that the trains are...
Ken Skates: Where we’re able to invest in stations, we have done. The Member will be aware of cases right across the country where we’ve been able to use our resources to enhance the experience of passengers. There are also responsibilities for Network Rail in this regard. Historically, Wales has not received the share of Network Rail funding that we should expect. My hope, in the future, is that we...
Ken Skates: Yes. I’d like to thank the Member for the question about, in particular, the WAO’s report, which was hugely helpful in appreciating and understanding what needs to be learnt for the next franchise. In terms of human resources, I’m confident that we have the expertise within Transport for Wales. There are many lessons that we need to learn, and the Wales Audit Office’s report actually...
Ken Skates: Yes. We will continue to support economic and infrastructure development across Wales, as set out in ‘Taking Wales Forward’.
Ken Skates: Yes, I am aware of the problem in this particular area, and I’ve asked officials to liaise more closely with the local authority in an attempt to identify a solution that can be fully funded. We do have a very ambitious programme of infrastructure upgrades across Wales, but I do recognise that Dinas Powys is a unique issue that needs to be resolved. If there’s any part that I can play in...
Ken Skates: Indeed I will. Actually, our transport contract documents state that the contractor must ensure that materials used by them and their subcontractors comply with the requirements of responsible sourcing of construction products, and it explicitly states that there is an expectation from the Welsh Government that the contractor will not use steel dumped from overseas markets on any project....
Ken Skates: The Member identifies what he calls a ‘dodgy’ deal and a ‘staggering loss’, but you can’t consider the loss without also considering the purchase price, and the Minister who was responsible at the time for the purchase was somebody who sat on your benches.
Ken Skates: Yes. ‘Taking Wales Forward’ sets out how we will deliver a more prosperous and secure Wales, underpinned by more and better jobs.
Ken Skates: Well, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government and I will be working very closely to ensure that the levers available to us in terms of tax devolution are used primarily to grow the economy and to grow opportunities to create wealth in all parts of Wales. I don’t think GVA is necessarily the best or only measure of prosperity, and I think that view is shared by the chief...
Ken Skates: I think it’s essential that we see the living wage—and that’s the proper living wage—rolled out right across the economy. As a Government, we’re taking action to promote the living wage in the private sector. Material is being produced on the benefits of adopting the living wage, and that’s shared with businesses, using existing business support mechanisms, and we’ll continue to...
Ken Skates: I think it requires a brass neck to ask about levels of income when you actually take an opportunity in a different place to vote against national minimum wage. And the Member may be able to confirm whether or not—[Interruption.] Well, does the Member support a national minimum wage? Did he, when the national minimum wage was voted upon in the UK Government, back it or oppose it? It’s a...
Ken Skates: There’s a question there: did you support the national minimum wage? Did your party support the national minimum wage? Because we all know the answer is that UKIP did not and do not support efforts to raise the living standards of lowest income families. The fact is that it was the Labour movement that introduced the national minimum wage. It’s the Labour movement that’s rolling out the...
Ken Skates: Our economic development priorities for all parts of Wales are set out in ‘Taking Wales Forward’.
Ken Skates: I’d like to thank the Member for her question. Of course, mobile connectivity is a non-devolved area. Where we have been able to directly intervene through Superfast Cymru, we have made great strides. Superfast Cymru will see Wales become the most connected nation in western Europe, and in parts of mid Wales, such as Powys, 63 per cent of properties are now able to access it. We’ll be...
Ken Skates: I’m intuitively opposed to a tax on travel by taxing bridge use, which may actually be raised shortly in a future question from Mark Reckless. In terms of the particular bridge that the Member mentions in the enterprise zone, I’ve not yet investigated trunking that particular route, but it is something that I would be keen to give consideration to if it can, in turn, lead to a growth in...
Ken Skates: Ultimately, I am responsible for signing off decisions and I’m responsible for ensuring that due diligence has been carried out by my officials and by my heads of sector teams. If the Member has any specific concerns regarding decisions that I or any of my predecessors have taken, I’d very much welcome any notice of that.
Ken Skates: ‘Taking Wales Forward’ sets out how we will deliver a prosperous and secure Wales that supports business and enables the economic conditions necessary to create wealth and employment opportunities across Wales.
Ken Skates: The all-age apprenticeship programme has been commenced. We are confident, based on our record—and it’s a proud record—of being able to deliver at least 100,000 all-age apprenticeships. I say we’re proud of the record, because we have a record completion rate for apprenticeships in Wales. Completion rates now stand at well above 80 per cent. That fares incredibly well compared to...
Ken Skates: My officials have been in regular discussions with the garden team. I intend to meet the chair in the next few weeks to discuss the report I commissioned on future commercial opportunities for the garden. The report will be published once the chair and trustees have seen it.
