Vaughan Gething: I think there's a really pragmatic approach to be taken here, and actually the work that has been done on gathering regions together to recognise their common interests is part of doing this. And, look, we understand very well that Bridgend is in a position where it broadly looks east but not exclusively—that was a conversation we had about health board boundaries, for example—and making...
Vaughan Gething: Yes. Both city deals are making good progress. The Swansea bay city deal is progressing well, with five projects approved and £54 million of city deal funding released. In Cardiff, the investment fund has so far committed £198 million across 12 projects, nine of which are already in delivery.
Vaughan Gething: Well, we know that broadband is a regular utility for businesses in urban and rural Wales, and I'm very pleased to welcome investment in the future of the economy—in north Wales, in other parts of Wales. And it really does show that it is possible for the Welsh Government and the UK Government to have a programme of work where we agree on how to support businesses and don't get drawn into a...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you. The final deal agreement was signed by Welsh Government, UK Government and the North Wales Economic Ambition Board in December 2020. I think a Member in this place would have been one of the signatories. The first tranche of Government funding was paid to the North Wales Economic Ambition Board in March 2021. The deal is owned and delivered by the North Wales Economic Ambition Board.
Vaughan Gething: Well, I praise the Member for mentioning so many different venues within his constituency. That was an impressive act that I'm sure others will look to emulate. I have seen the real impact, and I think the Member's right on the fact that the use of outdoor space as a necessity in the pandemic is helping to change some behaviour and, in the future, I think more people will take advantage of...
Vaughan Gething: Well, I've had a recent constructive engagement with the hospitality sector and others. We continue to talk, my officials are in regular conversations with representatives from the hospitality sector, and, as I've said previously, it's a matter of fact, not opinion, that hospitality businesses in Wales have a more generous package of financial support compared with hospitality businesses in...
Vaughan Gething: We've been round this track several times, as the Member is aware, on when the choices are made and how the schemes actually look to provide cover for the costs that businesses have incurred. So, the scheme that we're in the application process of now, where the eligibility checker is open, and applications will open next week, will look to cover costs from the end of the last period of...
Vaughan Gething: To date, not including the recently announced support, the Welsh Government has provided the tourism and hospitality industry with nearly £56 million in support through the economic resilience fund, and emergency funding will, of course, now be available until the end of August. The sector will continue to benefit from our 100 per cent rate relief scheme for the entire financial year, unlike...
Vaughan Gething: We have real challenges in this area, as Joyce Watson highlights. We have a reduction of about a quarter to a third of activity through our ports. Now, that's not just an issue in Holyhead; it's certainly a big issue for the trade with the island of Ireland that comes through south-west Wales as well, through the ports in Pembrokeshire. So, this is an issue I have raised repeatedly in...
Vaughan Gething: I should start by saying that, as we don't have a firm proposal, we don't have a proposal to work with. We have written to the UK Government, the previous Minister has written, and myself and the finance Minister will be writing again, ahead of our meeting with the Welsh Affairs Select Committee tomorrow, to set out, again, the parameters in which we are prepared to work with the UK...
Vaughan Gething: I've had a range of discussions on free ports with ministerial colleagues, including the Minister for Climate Change. However, no offer has been presented to the Welsh Government for a Welsh free port by the UK Government. Welsh Ministers have, though, clearly set out conditions where a joint approach could be taken, including, importantly, funding parity with English free ports.
Vaughan Gething: Well, longer term choices will need to be subject to our budget considerations, but I'm proud that this Government has taken a serious view on investing in the future of towns—and retail is an important part of a sense of place for people who live in those towns—and how we drive more footfall into town centres to make sure those businesses are viable. So, yes, I expect we'll be making...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you. We fully recognise the COVID pandemic has had a tremendous impact on the retail sector. That's why we're working closely with them to develop a retail strategy, which will outline our priorities and a shared vision for the future of the sector.
Vaughan Gething: Yes. In fact, in my initial response, I should have been clear that, when I talk about working with them, the retail sector, I do mean businesses and trade unions. USDAW have been very constructive in their retail recovery plan that they've proposed, and I'm actually going to be meeting with businesses and the trade union side over the next week. Because what we have been doing already is...
Vaughan Gething: We're actually looking at digital innovation in manufacturing. We've already created a hub in Wales that we're supporting as well, so we're looking at how this works for different businesses in different sectors. It's also part of the work that we're looking to develop on a properly regional approach to understand what will work in different parts of Wales, and that's about empowering...
Vaughan Gething: I think that's the important point that the Member makes at the end, because, when deployed responsibly, technology can provide workers with greater flexibility and enable them to be more productive, as many businesses have found during the pandemic. That innovative use of technology has given people that freedom and ability to work remotely in a way that they value. Now, that doesn't work...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. Our economic and reconstruction mission builds on the 2019 findings from Professor Phillip Brown’s review, with a focus on accelerating industrial transformation by embracing new and disruptive technologies, such as artificial intelligence.
Vaughan Gething: Obviously, if the UK Government don't take proper account of what will happen next with the pandemic that we all want to see come to an end, then it could have significant public health and economic consequences, and there's plenty of commentary about that and about the balance of risk in the choice the Prime Minister has made for England in terms of its reopening and what that may mean for...
Vaughan Gething: Our position on labour market intelligence and relationships that we have not just with the broader surveys but from business sectors themselves is one that we continue to look at, as we discuss the further path to opening up parts of our economy, as restrictions, we still think, can be eased in the future. That's the incomplete conversation that I referred to in your first question. I don't...
Vaughan Gething: I think the challenge in giving an honest answer to that question is that we don't know all of the issues around that, and we've just got to be honest about this. We know that we're in the midst of a significant spike in coronavirus infections. We know that there is a different relationship between infections and harm. It's why the hospitalisation and the death rate have not climbed in the...
