Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his statement? Cardiff and its surrounding area is of course the fastest-growing region in the UK, and the growth brings with it increased usage and growing pressure on pre-existing transport infrastructure. With this in mind, it’s important that future modernisation of the Welsh transport industry not only copes with this growing demand but caters for the needs of the Welsh people and encourages future success and growth in Wales. Now, certainly, my party has long believed that the south Wales metro is an essential project for connecting the people of south Wales and delivering economic growth in the region. The First Minister claimed last month that the metro cannot go ahead without European money; I’m pleased that you were not so dire in your statement, but still outlining the difficulties, of course, which is correct.

Given the result of the referendum, I am keen to understand how the Welsh Government will approach the south Wales metro project. The EU—. I think, in reply to questions from Dai Lloyd, you mentioned 20 per cent of the total cost coming from EU funding, and I must admit, as I say, I’ve only just looked at these figures myself, but it seems to me that the EU contribution was £106 million to the project in regional development funding, which was earmarked for the south Wales metro. The total city deal was £1.2 billion, so my rough calculation says that’s 8.8 per cent of the total cost, but I accept if I’ve got that incorrect; I’m looking for some clarification on that.

With this in mind as well, I wonder if I could ask the Cabinet Secretary what, if any, contingency plans the Welsh Government put in place for the project before the referendum took place. Was the Welsh Government in discussions with the UK Government’s Department for Transport regarding possible funding before the referendum in the eventuality that the British people would vote to leave the EU? Could the Cabinet Secretary detail what discussions he has had with the UK Government so far in securing this funding? Additionally, what sections of the metro project were to be directly funded by EU funding?

Regarding the future funding of this project, what will the Welsh Government’s contingency plan be in the result of the UK Government funding being unavailable in the immediate future? Are you looking as well for other ways of funding the project? Perhaps you could bring some detail on that.

I am pleased that you have released more information and details on the metro programme for north Wales and I welcome the calls for electrification and maximising connectivity with England and Ireland. Details on the actual substance of the project I think are still a little sketchy, so I look forward to more detail on that. Could the Cabinet Secretary perhaps provide some further details on this project, including a time frame for delivery, information on where the north Wales metro will operate and the available funding for the project?

I’m also pleased the Welsh Government has detailed more details on the new Wales and borders franchise, and I wonder if the Cabinet Secretary could provide some details about his understanding of the changes around the cross-border services. You mentioned that in your statement and I’m keen to have some more understanding on that.

Finally, as I say, I was disappointed that the Cabinet Secretary didn’t cover any details of how Transport for Wales operates and is funded. Created two years ago, it was claimed to be an overarching strategic body for transport, but so few details exist about it. Currently, £3.7 million has been spent on Transport for Wales and yet there’s no public-facing website and little information on the Welsh Government’s website. Also, I should say I did submit a written question to the Cabinet Secretary just recently. My question was: will the Minister provide an update on the timescales of delivery for Transport for Wales? And, the answer I got back last week was, ‘I will be making a statement to the Chamber on 12 July.’ Well, that’s true, of course, but there’s no details on Transport for Wales, so could the Cabinet Secretary, therefore, provide some details on how Transport for Wales operates? What is its function? How is it governed? What has the £3.7 million been spent on so far? And how does it link with the Cardiff capital region? I’d be grateful for a reply on those questions. Thank you.