<p>Railway Passengers in Islwyn</p>

Part of 2. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:10 pm on 21 June 2016.

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Photo of Carwyn Jones Carwyn Jones Labour 2:10, 21 June 2016

To me, it works both ways. It is right to say that many thousands of people commute into Cardiff every day. That’s going to continue, but it’s also important that we connect communities to bring investment up from the M4 as well. So, it works both ways, not just physical connectivity, but broadband as well, because we know that broadband, in the twenty-first century, is the equivalent of railway lines in the nineteenth century, and it’s hugely important to make sure that communities are connected to broadband so it doesn’t make a difference, if you’ve got a digital business, for example, where you’re based: you don’t have to be in Cardiff, you can be in any community around Wales. The two things, to me, run together. And yes, it does mean it’s easier for people to access some jobs in Cardiff, true, but also easier to bring investment up from the traditional areas around the M4.