Part of 1. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure – in the Senedd at 1:47 pm on 13 July 2016.
Maybe I can help the Cabinet Secretary out. There is only one other European country that lacks a dedicated trade and investment agency, and that’s the Ukraine. To be fair to them, they are a country currently under military occupation. The reason that countries have dedicated agencies is that they work. The World Bank says that. The OECD says that. All the published evidence says that. Now, there are certain people who say, of course, that we shouldn’t listen to experts, and that we shouldn’t focus on facts. I’m sure he doesn’t agree with that. Countries with dedicated investment agencies attract two and a half times the level of inward investment compared to those without, and that’s borne out, actually, by the Welsh Government’s own statistics. Our share of inward investment jobs is 50 per cent lower now than it was under the WDA. So, as part of his new economic strategy, can he say that his mind is open, that he will look at the evidence, and that he’s interested in hearing the views of key stakeholders as to whether Wales should now create a dedicated trade and investment body?