Part of 1. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure – in the Senedd at 1:46 pm on 9 November 2016.
Finally, can I urge the Cabinet Secretary to look, not just at the economic gap between Wales and the rest of the UK—indeed, the rest of Europe—but also the economic gap within Wales, absolutely, particularly at a time when many people in the Valleys and rural Wales feel as distant from the centres of power and wealth as the people of the midwest or the rust belt feel from Washington DC? So, will you consider the case for creating powerful new regional development corporations, focusing, particularly, on the needs of those areas of Wales, in the Valleys and rural Wales? It worked here in Cardiff bay, did it not, in microcosm? Should we not extend that same leverage to those areas in Wales that need it so badly? Would he also consider the case for creating regional capitals within Wales, which could be centres of public administration and business services, and, indeed, even the idea that you see in many commonwealth provinces, the idea of a vice capital—we might need to look a little bit at the branding—[Laughter.]—where even this Parliament could actually sit for some of its time as a symbol of our commitment to spreading wealth and power to every part of Wales?