Ken Skates: I’d like to thank the Member for his questions and, first and foremost, recognise the congratulations that he has given to the golden age, as he put it, which is owed, in no small part, to the investment of the Welsh Government of course, as well as UK Sport and, indeed, Sport Wales. But it’s because of the Welsh Government’s relentless focus on raising standards in school sport,...
Ken Skates: I’d like to thank the Member for his contribution and I’d also like to recognise the incredible success of our national football team as well this summer. I think between the Paralympics, the Olympics and the Euros, we’ve had probably the best summer of sport for Welsh sportspeople in any of our lifetimes. Perhaps, if only we had an alpine winter climate, we could be expecting a good...
Ken Skates: I’m at a loss as well in terms of the sport that the Member refers to, but I do think that the Member makes a really important point: that you have to balance the investment in elite sport with investment in grass-roots sport, because it’s essential that every single person in society has an opportunity to access what I call the escalator of activity. It doesn’t matter at what level you...
Ken Skates: Can I thank the Member for her valuable contribution and recognise that Hannah Blythyn, I think, represents an area that probably has the highest concentration of Olympic medals currently in Wales? The success of Sabrina and Jade is quite astonishing and I’d like to send my congratulations direct to them as well. I know how important Jade Jones’s victory was to the community of Flint; I...
Ken Skates: Well, I think it’s phenomenal, the success of Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark in the 470 sailing. They join a very exclusive group of Welsh women who’ve been crowned Olympic champions, which is steadily increasing, including Barker, Jones, Mills, Irene Steer and Nicole Cooke. And, also, of course, in the cycling team pursuit, Owain Doull and Elinor Barker, who both hail from the same...
Ken Skates: I’m committed to enabling our heritage and cultural institutions to maximise their commercial performance. I believe this can be achieved by exploring potential new structures and taking the necessary steps to realise the benefits that can be derived from better integration.
Ken Skates: I’d like to thank the Member for her question and also welcome the support of the Welsh Conservatives for improving the commercial performance of many of our heritage and historic environment organisations. In terms of Cadw, I’m pleased to be able to tell Members today that, actually, 2016 is on course to be the most successful year in its history. It is part of Welsh Government, but a...
Ken Skates: In short, to the final question, yes. The Member was not present in 2013 and nor was the Chair of the new committee a member of that committee in 2013 when there was an inquiry into the Welsh Government’s historic environment. The vision that I’ve outlined for Historic Wales is not a vision held by one person or one party. It’s actually a vision that comes from all parties that were...
Ken Skates: I don’t think anybody is suggesting that the national museum will become part of Government. Far from it. This is going to protect the sustainability, the identity and the independence of the museum, but ensure that we bring together the expertise that is necessary to actually realise the potential of many of our institutions. I’ve talked about the increase in visitor numbers to Cadw...
Ken Skates: The Member is absolutely right: this is about users—i.e. the people of Wales whom we serve and the institutions must serve as well. It’s also about the people who are employed in the institutions. The greatest anxiety that can be caused is job insecurity, and what this aims to do is ensure the long-term sustainability of those institutions, so that those jobs that are there at the moment...
Ken Skates: Diolch, Lywydd. This statement updates Members on a delay to the M4 corridor around Newport public local inquiry as a direct result of actions taken by the UK Government. Due to the short time frame until the planned inquiry start date, I decided to release a written statement yesterday to advise all stakeholders as soon as possible. As I set out to Members here on 21 June, it is vital that...
Ken Skates: I’d like to thank Dai Lloyd for his questions. It’s clear that neither of us are happy at all with what we’ve learnt this week. But I imagine that motorists who regularly use the M4 are absolutely furious by this further delay—an unnecessary delay and avoidable delay. Had we not chosen to defer the commencement of the M4 public local inquiry to, at the latest, the end of March next...
Ken Skates: I’d like to thank the Member for his questions and say at the outset that I actually feared being scolded rather than congratulated for issuing a written statement ahead of giving an oral statement in the Chamber. So, I’m pleased that the Member actually recognised the value in my doing that, and it’s something that I would consider in the future. Again, I’m going to go back to the...
Ken Skates: Can I thank the Member for his questions and say, first and foremost, that we need to be able to convince not just the independent inspector, but also the people of Wales that this hugely important project is necessary? The way that we do that is that we make an evidence-based argument. If we can’t convince the inspector that it’s the case that the current road is over capacity, and if we...
Ken Skates: I think the Member is right to raise concerns about the implications of this right across Wales. As I’ve already outlined, there are implications that we must consider. That said, I am determined to proceed with public consultation on the work that is necessary to alleviate pressure on the A55 and the A494 in north Wales. We’ll be proceeding with that consultation in March 2017, so I’m...
Ken Skates: The Member makes a very important point—a crucial point that, when we’re talking about such a huge sum of money, it’s absolutely vital that we invest it on the basis of evidence and on the basis of up-to-date, accurate data. The UK Government has given no indication as to whether we should proceed on the basis of the latest Department for Transport information. I’d be very interested...
Ken Skates: Oh, good grief. I’m not sure where to begin, other than to say I’ve already outlined what happened in late July. The Member seems to think that you can probably calculate with a Casio calculator and an abacus, in a few seconds, for what is an immensely burdensome project. It cannot be done overnight, and as I’ve already said, normally—normally—Department for Transport officials will...
Ken Skates: I think the Member raises an absolutely crucial point, and it’s one that has previously been raised by our friend and the Member for Llanelli, Lee Waters. I think it’s fair to say, actually, that, in the past, WelTAG was a system that had its origins in highway modelling, and therefore often skewed in favour of road development taking place. Changes have now been made to make sure that...
Ken Skates: Yes. Can I thank the Member for her questions, and say that my heart also sank when this matter—the consequences of the Department for Transport’s failure to engage with us earlier, or to consult with us—came home? I can confirm that this will not shorten the inquiry. I think it’s absolutely right and fair that every person and every organisation that has an interest in this subject...
Ken Skates: Economic growth is a fundamental part of our programme for government. The strong performance of the ICT sector has led to the creation of 7,500 high-end jobs in Wales. Ongoing support to this enabling sector will assist the development of all businesses in Wales through increased adoption of digital technologies.
