8. 7. Welsh Conservatives Debate: Economic Development

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:36 pm on 8 February 2017.

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Photo of Andrew RT Davies Andrew RT Davies Conservative 5:36, 8 February 2017

I don’t doubt that. But if you read the manifesto, as I pointed out to you, the manifesto talks of a north Wales metro system, and now it seems Government policy has moved firmly just to stick with the east and forget the west. As we know, in the western part of north Wales we have the lowest levels of gross value added to be found in Wales—in Anglesey, for example. One thing successive Welsh Governments have failed to do is lift GVA levels across Wales and, importantly, take-home pay across Wales, which are the lowest levels anywhere in the United Kingdom. Economic development, training and skills will upgrade the workforce, upgrade the job opportunities to lift those wage levels, lift those GVA levels, so that we get more money circulating around the domestic economy of Wales that does create continued opportunities for some of our most deprived communities.

That is the challenge to this Minister and this Government, at the outset of its term in office, to clearly map out its vision for where it wants to be at the end of its term of office. And I have to say, I haven’t heard nothing to date that convinces me that some of the wrongs of previous administrations will be corrected by this Minister and this Government.