Ken Skates: Carwyn Jones.
Ken Skates: Thank you, Presiding Officer. As Members will be aware, this week sees the start of the fifteenth UEFA European Championship in France and I am delighted that this year, Wales will be one of the nations taking part in the newly expanded 24-team tournament. On behalf of the Welsh Government and this Assembly, can I begin by congratulating the Welsh team on what has been a hugely successful...
Ken Skates: I thank the Member for his contribution and say, well, actually, for many of us, it’s going to be the first time that we’ve ever seen the Welsh national squad campaign on the world stage, so it’s going to be a life first for many of us that I’m sure we’re very excited about. On the last point about carrying out an audit of facilities across Wales—I forgive the Member because he...
Ken Skates: Can I thank Russell George for his valuable contribution and for his kind words and I look forward to working with him in the fifth Assembly as well? If I could just pick up on that final point about promoting Wales moving forward, this, of course, is only the beginning of what I see as a golden period for Welsh football and for Wales promoting the game on a global stage, because, of course,...
Ken Skates: I rather fear that, if they did remove the European flag in some places, they could be discarded and then considered litter in the streets, and then we might have politicians accusing immigrants of doing it. [Laughter.] I’d welcome the Member’s warm embrace of the national spirit that we feel the length and breadth of Wales, and, other than to say I would encourage all public buildings to...
Ken Skates: Can I thank Mike Hedges for his contribution? I hadn’t realised that he was only one year old in 1958; I now know his age. The advertising equivalent would amount to many, many millions of pounds for the tournament. In fact, when we launched the Year of Adventure at the start of this year, we calculated that, in the first 72 hours, the advertising equivalent, simply by promoting Wales in...
Ken Skates: Well, the Member is absolutely right. This is a tournament where Davids can be incredibly successful. We’ve seen some great surprises in recent tournaments with nations such as Denmark and Greece having won it. Actually, if we look at the rankings of Wales and the other teams that are in the group, we see that Wales is ranked at the moment globally twenty-sixth, Slovakia twenty-fourth,...
Ken Skates: The Member raises an important point, but I would say that I would like to see English visitors to Wales be able to purchase football items that carry the Welsh flag as well as the English flag if they wish to in order to build the economy of Wales. I am aware of shops—and it has been a contentious issue—that have been selling English merchandise, particularly in north-east Wales, where...
Ken Skates: Yes. Can I thank the Member for her contribution? It is absolutely vital that, in particular during these hot spells, people do consume as much water as alcohol. It is a matter for Cardiff City Council as to who they have selling refreshments, but as I said a little earlier, I think it’s important that Welsh producers and Welsh suppliers are given every opportunity to capitalise from the...
Ken Skates: Thank you, Presiding Officer. To recap for those Members who were not part of the fourth Assembly, the regulations will enable people with an impairment lasting at least 12 months to access disabled parking spaces in exactly the same way as they would if their condition was permanent. Now, the disabled persons blue badge scheme is intended to enable those who cannot walk or who have...
Ken Skates: Yes. Major energy infrastructure projects are enormously beneficial to the Welsh economy. Energy is one of our most important economic imperatives. We have the potential in Wales for £50 billion of investment in low-carbon electricity production over the next 10 to 15 years.
Ken Skates: Absolutely, and can I thank the Member for her question and her keen interest in this subject? The sort of development we’re talking about could offer lifelong careers for the young people who are joining us in the gallery today, from the Member’s constituency. We recognise the opportunity that tidal energy generation presents for the economy of Wales, and I hope to have an early meeting...
Ken Skates: Yes, and can I thank the Member for his question, and also for support for this scheme right across the Chamber? The energy environment sector in Wales is enormously important to our future. It employs at the moment somewhere in the region of 58,000 people and provides opportunities for more than 2,000 companies, with a turnover of more than £2.3 billion. I’m very keen to ensure that, as...
Ken Skates: Absolutely, and can I thank the Member for his question, and for rightly pointing out that we’ve got a proud record of supporting domestic and business energy efficiency schemes in Wales? The Member may be interested to know that we have large-scale, state-aid-compliant energy efficiency projects that are now being designed and approved by Europe that offer innovative solutions that could...
Ken Skates: Yes. I fully recognise the importance of cross-border connectivity for the social and economic benefit of both sides of the border. We are engaged with various partners across all modes to seek to maximise the benefits that connectivity can bring across the whole of Wales.
Ken Skates: Yes, I would agree to that meeting, and I’d like to thank the Member for bringing this to my attention. I know that he’s given it considerable focus in his time as Assembly Member, and we’re continuing to work with Highways England regarding that particular stretch, and we will continue to meet with them to promote joint working and to develop feasibility studies for future cross-border...
Ken Skates: Can I thank the Member for her question, and say that the economy of north Wales has phenomenal potential? It is our gateway to the world and we wish to see it take flight. We have begun work to advance the development of a north-east Wales metro system. It’s important that we have connectivity across the whole of the region to maximise the opportunities further west and to provide...
Ken Skates: First of all, can I welcome the Member back to the Chamber, and say that rail electrification is crucially important to the economy of south Wales, indeed, to the economy of the whole of Wales, and I’ll be pleased to be able to present Members with a written update on this matter?
Ken Skates: Can I thank the Member for his question and say that we declared very publicly that we believe the tolls should be in the hands of the Welsh Government. Now, it’s estimated that removing the tolls would boost productivity in Wales by something in the region of £100 million or more every year, and I can see no justification for continuing to disadvantage Welsh businesses once the concession...
Ken Skates: Can I thank the Member for his question and congratulate him on his appointment as well? Indeed, can I congratulate the other two Members of Plaid Cymru who have been appointed to shadow me? Having three shadows makes me feel like a marked man, I must say. With regard to the specific questions that the Member raises, we will be developing a new economic strategy and I would hope that you...
