3. Will the Minister make a statement on economic and infrastructure development in South Wales Central? OAQ(5)0045(EI)

Yes. We will continue to support economic and infrastructure development across Wales, as set out in ‘Taking Wales Forward’.

I thought that you’d turned into the First Minister there with your very brief answer of ‘yes’, Cabinet Secretary. [Laughter.]

Thank you for that statement, Cabinet Secretary. One thing I’d like to point out is the need for a Dinas Powys bypass. In fairness to the Welsh Government, they have two large infrastructure projects on the drawing board at the moment in Vale of Glamorgan—one is the improvement to the Five Mile Lane and the other is the access road into the Aston Martin development site at St Athan. But, for many people in the eastern part of the Vale of Glamorgan and, indeed, Cardiff, the big bottleneck both economically and socially for transport issues is through the village of Dinas Powys.

There have been various suggestions and proposals put forward from the council to the Welsh Government over the years, but nothing has quite moved on this particular proposal. Have you, in the short time that you’ve been Cabinet Secretary, been able to familiarise yourself with the proposals around Dinas Powys and the transport issues around this village in the Vale of Glamorgan? If you haven’t, could you confirm that you will work with your officials to engage with the local community and, indeed, the council to see whether these proposals can be taken forward?

Yes, I am aware of the problem in this particular area, and I’ve asked officials to liaise more closely with the local authority in an attempt to identify a solution that can be fully funded. We do have a very ambitious programme of infrastructure upgrades across Wales, but I do recognise that Dinas Powys is a unique issue that needs to be resolved. If there’s any part that I can play in facilitating a solution, I will happily do so.

Cabinet Secretary, infrastructure projects in South Wales Central, and across Wales, are a unique opportunity to actually use local industries and local businesses, particularly local steel infrastructure projects. Will you ensure that procurement contracts that you put in place for these developments actually try to focus on using British steel, and particularly Welsh steel?

Indeed I will. Actually, our transport contract documents state that the contractor must ensure that materials used by them and their subcontractors comply with the requirements of responsible sourcing of construction products, and it explicitly states that there is an expectation from the Welsh Government that the contractor will not use steel dumped from overseas markets on any project. Grant funding and investment in projects such as twenty-first century schools, as I outlined at last week’s all-party group meeting, are all now used as levers to require recipients of Welsh Government funding to evidence just how supply chain contracts are being opened up for local steel suppliers. The work stream of the steel taskforce has progressed a series of initiatives on procurement as part of its co-ordinated package of support for the Welsh and UK steel industry, and it’s progressing very well indeed.

Will the Cabinet Secretary consider the following: the Lisvane land deal, up to £40 million lost; land sold in Rhoose, £7.25 million lost; two shops in Pontypridd, £1 million lost; your Government being humiliated and fined over its dodgy procurement procedure, £1.52 million lost? Over £50 million lost, and many are saying that this is the most incompetent Welsh Government in history. So, what are businesses in South Wales Central to make of this staggering loss of money—staggering?

The Member identifies what he calls a ‘dodgy’ deal and a ‘staggering loss’, but you can’t consider the loss without also considering the purchase price, and the Minister who was responsible at the time for the purchase was somebody who sat on your benches.