Vaughan Gething: I think there are a couple of points to make in response. The first is, of course, that we have a much more generous offer to support businesses here in Wales, including the tourism sector, than over the border, and not just the general support that we've provided—at least £400 million more than the consequentials that would come from spending in England—but the fact that we continue to...
Vaughan Gething: Yes, I recognise the reality that active travel opens up new opportunities to promote tourism in many parts of Wales, and the initiative that the Member identifies is a good example of that potential. I'm not sure I can give him a cast iron guarantee to visit; I have lots of opportunities and invitations to visit different parts of Wales. But I'd be more than happy to take more of an interest...
Vaughan Gething: Denbighshire, and the whole of north Wales, feature prominently in Visit Wales’s promotional activities. We will continue to promote Denbighshire’s significant tourist offer, both on the coast and in the countryside, including, of course, signature events such as the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.
Vaughan Gething: Well, it's something that my predecessor, Ken Skates, has recognised, about the importance of north-east Wales and north-west England, and some common economic interests. And we do think the Mersey Dee Alliance is helping to make the case for that. I have met them twice now since becoming the economy Minister, and I actually think that their stimulus package is worth serious consideration....
Vaughan Gething: Thank you. We have made unprecedented levels of funding available to support Welsh businesses through the pandemic. Flintshire businesses have received £69.7 million in grant support since April 2020, which is in addition to our extensive support provided by Business Wales and the development bank.
Vaughan Gething: Yes, and, of course, in the manifesto that we stood on, we talked about having a greener, fairer and more prosperous Wales. And I have met a range of the coming generations of apprentices and engineers during my visits both to Airbus and Toyota, and I look forward to meeting more of our new range of people coming in with skills into the workforce. And in fact, the manufacturing action plan...
Vaughan Gething: I recognise the incredibly difficult and uncertain circumstances currently being experienced by travel agencies. Supply chain businesses, including travel agencies, impacted by a greater than 60 per cent downturn in their turnover should consider an application to our economic resilience fund. The fund targets businesses that continue to be affected by COVID-19 restrictions.
Vaughan Gething: Between 2011 and 2020, the employment rate in Rhondda Cynon Taf increased by 4.8 percentage points and the unemployment rate fell from 10.4 per cent to 5.4 per cent.
Vaughan Gething: Our £136 million Transforming Towns programme, alongside wider business support, is vital in assisting the economic and social recovery of our town centres. We have ambitious plans for our town/city centres, and our priority is to secure their long-term sustainability by driving footfall and making them attractive places to be.
Vaughan Gething: The review is in its infancy. Given the obvious crossover, our departments work very closely together. Once the panel has been established and provided its reports, I look forward to discussing the results with the Minister for Climate Change to take full advantage of the economic possibilities.
Vaughan Gething: I'm happy to give the Member the assurance that we continue to stay as engaged as we could and should be with the company in discussions about their future. There are about 180 jobs between the two sites. Those jobs are valuable, and we want to be able to protect them and to see them have a real future, moving forward. I know that I have had conversations with your constituency neighbour,...
Vaughan Gething: Well, this is really a point about how we continue to invest in the workforce. And this is an area where the job that you'd have done in the steel industry 20 years ago isn't necessarily the job that you're doing today and won't be the job that you do in 20 years' time, and employers recognise that themselves. And, again, it's recognised not just by employers but by the trade union side as...
Vaughan Gething: I think those are entirely fair challenges, and I was just looking at the Deputy Minister for Social Care when talking about the energy demands from these companies—because, of course, as Cardiff Members will know, a huge amount of the demand that goes into electricity here in Cardiff comes from Celsa—and what that practically means for the ability of the grid to keep on doing that. So,...
Vaughan Gething: Well, these are exactly issues that I have had regular conversations with not just David Rees about in previous Senedd terms, but at the start of this one and indeed in my conversations with Community, who are the lead steel union on the Steel Council. There's a range of high-quality jobs at stake within the industry and that's why you need to think very seriously about what happens with the...
Vaughan Gething: I think there are two questions in there, Llywydd, as well as the invite. The question about the invite: in principle, yes, and I'll happily work with you to look to find an appropriate opportunity to come to Shotton. I think the other question is about how we look at what we can do to invest around that, what companies are prepared to do themselves, and what certainties the Welsh Government...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the questions. I'll deal with R&D not just in the steel sector but more generally, and this is one of the challenges overall for our economic future, because when it comes to the distribution of innovation and R&D funding, Wales doesn't actually, I think, secure a fair share of UK-wide funds at present. Actually, Scotland does better than its share at present, in population....
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for that series of questions. I'm pleased that the Member welcomes and recognises the change in approach the UK Government is taking to steel safeguards. I believe that's a proportionate step that's been taken, and I do welcome the action that has been taken, as you know, that we've also called for. When it comes to the future work between the Governments, our main engagement is...
Vaughan Gething: The low-carbon transition is complex and far-reaching. It requires collaboration across governments, industry and the workforce over the coming decade and beyond. In the short term, some improvements can be made—improving energy efficiency and resource efficiency, for example. However, the significant reductions in emissions required can only come from major shifts in production processes...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Llywydd. The steel industry has a long and proud history here in Wales. I am committed to working to secure a long, proud and sustainable future for our steel industry. Not only does the sector support many thousands of jobs in Wales, but steel enables everything from our buildings, transport, utilities and communication systems, to many of our consumer products. Developing a...
Vaughan Gething: Yes, I'll be happy to meet with her individually to talk about the Rhondda. I know that there's interest from other constituency Members around her to have a conversation about what this will mean for the Valleys, and I'm really interested in the opportunities we can create for people in their own communities, as well as in communities in the broader travel-to-work area. So, I'll be very...
