Ken Skates: I agree. The advertising potential or the advertising equivalent for major events is huge. We know that when we host major events, such as rugby, such as the Ashes, the focus of the world coming on Cardiff, and on Wales, is immense. And, for an area such as the Valleys, it would be incredibly valuable to have a regular raft of major events taking place there, promoting it, not just as an...
Ken Skates: I wouldn’t wish to comment on the current position of Silverstone. But, with regard to Formula 1, it is, of course, one of the biggest annual sporting events that takes place in Britain, currently at Silverstone. The Circuit of Wales team have assured Welsh Government that any potential future bid for Formula 1 would not require funding in any shape or form from Welsh Government. It would...
Ken Skates: And the Member is broadly right in his assertions. I think the figures have risen slightly, but, nonetheless, the actual return, provided that the circuit operates for the full duration, would return something in the region of £2.5 million in terms of the benefit-cost ratio for the taxpayer. So, the Member is absolutely right in that regard. Just reflecting on what other Members have said,...
Ken Skates: Wide-ranging support is available for small and medium-sized businesses in Arfon and indeed across Wales through the Business Wales support network.
Ken Skates: I don’t think it would be right for me to comment in any detail on what is clearly a commercial matter, but if the Member would wish to write to me with details of both valuations, I’ll certainly ask my officials within the property team to take a look at why there is such a clear and sizeable difference in the values that have been applied to it. In addition, I will endeavour to get...
Ken Skates: I’d like to thank the Member for his question and say that that was one person within the FSB and many others in the FSB in north Wales have welcomed the Welsh Government’s cut to business taxes for small and medium-sized businesses in Arfon. The Member mentions the English scheme, but that applies to far fewer businesses. Our scheme will apply to around 70 per cent of businesses and...
Ken Skates: Yes, they have, because data show that the return on the investment of those trade missions is approximately 40:1. So, a great success in terms of the return for the taxpayer. We are planning two more trade missions to the United States in the spring of next year, to San Francisco and to New York. I think it’s quite clear that the additional £5 million that has been secured for Visit...
Ken Skates: Yes, indeed. Exports, we’ve said on a number of occasions, are going to be a key feature of our work in the coming years. We will be intensifying both investment and activity in this area, not least because currency exchange rates clearly give us a competitive advantage in many markets at present. I should say as well that, in terms of exports, the figures that the Member has pointed to...
Ken Skates: I’ve had no conversations as of yet with the President-elect and no invitation to attend any trade events in the United States. Of course, we would consider them, should they come forward. Yes, the President-elect has given indications that he would wish to forge favourable agreements with the United Kingdom. That said, throughout the entirety of the campaign that he’s just fought, he was...
Ken Skates: Yes, that would be Welsh Government.
Ken Skates: I would agree that littering is utterly unacceptable, but the way that we respond to such a problem is not just to clear up litter, it’s to persuade people to change their attitudes, their behaviours and their culture. Indeed, under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, it’s imperative that we find ways to avoid such problems emerging in the future. So it’s not just for...
Ken Skates: Quality of place is absolutely essential in ensuring people have pride in the place that they live, and I would agree with the Member that it does need to be improved in terms of not just trunk road verges, but streets in general and town centres. Many local authorities are having difficulty with an increase, in some parts, of littering and anti-social behaviour. But the key, the long-term...
Ken Skates: Well, the Member makes a number of important points. First of all, I was very disappointed that those statistics were delayed. It was out of our control, as the Member is aware, but I was very much hoping that they would be published this week. I can’t comment on what I have seen within the statistical release. That said, projections are based often on science that subsequently is proven to...
Ken Skates: It is unacceptable the way that some people are having to tolerate public transport at the moment and we have taken a very firm line with the operators. We’re also taking a firm line with Network Rail, who have, in recent years, hugely underfunded the Welsh route network. We also believe firmly that now is the time to devolve all responsibility for rail services, to make sure that we can...
Ken Skates: This relates largely to the skills strategy and the work that the Minister for Skills and Science has been undertaking. Sometimes projections do come right; we predicted that this might happen today, this question, so I’ll pass you over to the Minister.
Ken Skates: We’re going to go into gambling as a consequence of this being right.
Ken Skates: We will be delivering the south Wales metro in tandem with the development of the new Wales and borders franchise, which will bring significant improvements to rail services across Wales. Passengers can expect to see a step change in terms of the quality of rail services provided.
Ken Skates: I would hope the Member would recognise that the historic underfunding of the rail network in Wales, as I outlined to Adam Price, has certainly not helped matters, especially at this time of year. Indeed, this is not a new occurrence; historically, we have fared worse during winter months because the investment has not been forthcoming where it should be. In terms of what we as a...
Ken Skates: The Member is absolutely right that we need to ensure that the transport network is fully integrated. Yesterday, I outlined to Llyr Huws Gruffydd how we are supporting the bus network in north-east Wales in the area where the metro’s origins will be formed in terms of the approach that needs to be taken since the collapse of GHA Coaches. It’s absolutely essential that we stabilise the bus...
Ken Skates: Okay, yes, absolutely. It is a hugely ambitious project and I’d like to thank the Member for his very kind question to me. The cost of the south Wales metro is currently estimated at over £700 million and the timescales are as follows—I’ll go through each of the key points. We’re going to be awarding the operator and developer partner for the franchise and the metro by the end of...
