3. Will the First Minister provide an update on the development of the South Wales Metro? OAQ(5)0128(FM)

The procurement for the operator and development partner for the Wales and borders franchise, which includes the metro, has started. Subject to a successful competition, the contract will be awarded at the end of next year.

Thank you, First Minister. Our rail network has clearly been uppermost in the minds of my constituents and other AMs over the last few days with the start of the six-week closure period of the Severn tunnel for the important electrification work. Speed of travel is a key aspect of quality of life, so I was very concerned to hear that the town of Monmouth may not be part of the future metro map, following funding concerns in the wake of the European vote. How can you reassure my constituents that the metro scheme will reach all parts of south-east Wales, so that no-one feels excluded, and is the Government looking at all metro options in rural areas, including enhanced bus services and busways?

We have no plans to change the current proposals for the metro, and he will know, of course, that Monmouth is part of the metro in terms of its future development. What is correct, however, is that £125 million-worth of the funding for the metro is due to be met by European funding. Now, without that funding, clearly there will be a limit on how far and how fast the metro project can proceed. Now, I’ve heard what was said that Wales would not lose out as a result of leaving the EU—indeed, I know that it has been said that funding for each and every part of the UK, including Wales, will be safe if we vote to leave; Andrew R.T. Davies, 14 June. So, he has his own leader’s assurance that that £125 million will be still be available for the metro, and I’m sure that he will receive that assurance with some comfort.

First Minister, several of us on these benches are also members of the Co-operative Party and spent part of the weekend discussing the role of co-ops and social enterprises in the Welsh economy. Do you agree that it would be a positive outcome to see not-for-profits, social enterprises and co-ops involved integrally in the delivery of various aspects of the south Wales metro?

Absolutely; I mean, we want to see a model that invests, of course, in the network itself and a model that provides a good service to passengers at a fair price. And these are the issues that we will be exploring as the metro procurement process goes ahead.

Before the summer recess, the First Minister dismissed suggestions that within the economic plan for the capital region and the proposed metro, a distinct status should be afforded to the city of Newport and other centres outside Cardiff itself. Will the First Minister therefore confirm that his plans for the capital region amount to no more than making a commute to Cardiff easier, rather than a comprehensive plan to spread job creation opportunities across the entire south-east?

No. I mean, of course Newport and the Valleys are part of the region because it is an economic region. The reality is that 11 million people a year come through Cardiff Central station; they are commuters—many of them who come down from Valley communities. He is right to ask the question, of course: is this simply about bringing people from Valley communities to Cardiff? That’s half the story. The other half of the story is to make it easier for investors to move their investments up into Valley communities as it becomes, in their minds, easier to get there. It has to be a two-way flow for the region to operate effectively.

Whilst my party broadly welcomes the metro project, closer inspection makes it difficult to envisage any real advantage it brings to the conurbations of the eastern Valleys. Could the First Minister comment where, if any, improvements are envisaged to enhance connectivity for this area?

Well, first of all, of course, we have the existing rail network into Cardiff and that offers us the opportunity to examine how those networks can be made quicker in the future. But the point about the metro is that it’s extendable—it’s not about simply looking at the structure that we have at the moment. The metro in future will, I have no doubt, include new light rail lines and new bus connectivity, particularly cross Valley, where, of course, it’s quite difficult as everything tends to be north-south. Eastern Cardiff is in the same situation, of course—eastern Cardiff is poorly served by the rail network—and as the metro rolls out, we’re fully aware of the fact that we need to look at these areas where, certainly, rail transport is non-existent, or there’s little of it, to make sure that those gaps are filled in in the future.