Vaughan Gething: We continue to do everything possible to support the SME sector throughout Wales through our progressive economic policies. These focus on better skills, better jobs and tackling inequality with the tools at our disposal. That includes working with our stakeholders and, of course, we will soon celebrate 10 years of our Business Wales business support programme.
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the comments and questions. You're right about the economic resilience fund. I was in a different role during the pandemic, but the reality is that, because we didn't spend the same money on our test, trace, protect programme and the way that we used money on our personal protective equipment programme, meant that we provided more successful contact tracing at a lower price than...
Vaughan Gething: Our strategy 'Welcome to Wales: Priorities for the visitor economy 2020-2025' sets out our vision and ambition for tourism. We support the sector through promoting Wales at home and abroad, through capital investment and our £50 million Wales tourism investment fund.
Vaughan Gething: Well, it's a conversation we had with the sector about what best to do to support them to make choices, how they promote themselves. Some of this is done on a regional basis successfully. For example, it may make more sense for a visitor to know about activity-based holidays if they're, say, going to Bike Park Wales, in the Deputy Minister's constituency, and if, at random, they wanted to...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question.
Vaughan Gething: Our Business Wales service provides businesses with access to a wide range of information, guidance and support, both financial and non-financial, to help grow businesses. Financial support between £1,000 and £10 million is available through the Development Bank of Wales to help Welsh businesses get the finance that they need to expand.
Vaughan Gething: Funnily enough, I am aware of nappies being turned into asphalt. It's not just something that another relatively new parent would be interested in, given the Member has two young children in his house; I remember the days fondly, and not so fondly at various times, the reality of nappy changing. But there is an opportunity to think about how we can use products to turn them into something...
Vaughan Gething: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I move the motion before us. I find it difficult in addressing, or disappointing in addressing, this motion, which relates to a Bill implementing the free trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand, that we are yet again having to discuss another case in which the UK Government is seeking consent from the Senedd to a Bill that contains concurrent powers for which...
Vaughan Gething: I thank Members for all of the various comments and questions that have been raised in the debate. On the policy through the different trade deals, our disagreement with the UK Government is clear. And I respect and understand why both Mabon ap Gwynfor and Alun Davies made comments about that; that's not really the point in the sense of the vote today on the LCM, but we have not resiled from...
Vaughan Gething: We have constructive conversations with UK Ministers. We don't always end up agreeing and we've not reached agreement on this point. I reiterate, and to conclude: we cannot support consent for this Bill. I therefore ask Members to withhold consent for this Bill and vote against the motion.
Vaughan Gething: Formally.
Vaughan Gething: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm grateful for this opportunity to update the Senedd on the free-ports programme in Wales. The Government is content to support the motion, subject to amendment 2. We want to be clear that we're not tied into a particular number of free ports, and I'll talk later on about that as well. I acknowledge Plaid Cymru's focus on the challenges faced by coastal communities...
Vaughan Gething: I will.
Vaughan Gething: I think it's fair to say that if you look at the free-ports programme in England, it's different to the one we have in Wales. The parameters for the bids are different—that's because we did eventually have a sensible conversation between the two Governments. I welcome what Samuel Kurtz said earlier about the fact that the Welsh and the UK Government have worked together. That wasn't without...
Vaughan Gething: Diolch, Llywydd. I welcome this opportunity to update Members on 'Wales innovates', our new innovation strategy, which has been co-developed with the Ministers for health and social services, education and Welsh Language and, of course, climate change. It was officially launched yesterday. Firstly, I'd like to acknowledge and thank the Plaid Cymru designated Members and their leader in the...
Vaughan Gething: We know that the traditional source of much of Wales’s investment in research and development—the former EU structural funds—is no more. We know that we will have less money to invest, and less control over how it is invested. Engagement with the EU over the Horizon Europe programme remains unresolved. But we do have positive relationships with EU regions through our ongoing involvement...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the long series of questions. I won't test the Deputy Presiding Officer's patience by giving a long answer to each of, I think the 10 different areas. Look, on the action and delivery plan, I'm expecting that that will be provided in a matter of months, and that should help us, as it's supposed to be a living document, to make sure that we do have milestones and measures within...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the questions and comments.
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the questions.
Vaughan Gething: I heard much about about Finland yesterday, the leader of Plaid Cymru referred to Finland at length in his contribution, and of course we have taken an interest in the way that other countries, including Finland, have used innovation as a tool for national improvement and in a range of policy areas. Finland and other Scandinavian countries have had an explicit influence on the way that we've...
