3. Will the Minister make a statement on her Welsh Government’s priorities for the fifth Assembly for rural communities across South Wales Central? OAQ(5)0041(ERA)

We have been absolutely clear about our commitment to provide support to deliver successful and sustainable rural communities across Wales. We co-finance our rural development programme with the European Union and so expect the UK Government to provide an unconditional guarantee to fund all projects contracted under the programme for their lifetime.

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for that answer. One of the things that was brought in in the third Assembly by the Presiding Officer, when she was rural affairs Minister, was a change to the planning system for rural dwellings under TAN 6. I appreciate that planning isn’t in your portfolio of responsibilities—

It is.

It is; better still then—the question has more relevance than I thought it was going to have. [Laughter.] Being a regional Member, I have three different councils in South Wales Central that interpret that planning guidance in very different ways, they do. For succession in farm businesses, but also for rural businesses, this provision within the planning system is of vital consideration to allow businesses to move forward. Are you minded, Cabinet Secretary, to do a review of how TAN 6 is being implemented across Wales because, obviously, consistency is vital so that businesses do not feel that they are being hindered in the succession planning or in just being able to expand their businesses and diversify into other areas?

I can say that, yes, I am responsible for planning. Certainly, in my discussions with farmers, they haven’t raised too many concerns about TAN 6. In fact, they are very grateful and happy that it’s there. But I think that consistency is absolutely correct, and obviously we have 25 planning authorities across Wales and, with anything like that, I think you always get a level of inconsistency. I think the Planning (Wales) Act 2015, as we take that forward, will help in that way. But I’m very happy to look at anything that I think will improve planning going forward.