2. What plans does the First Minister have to encourage economic development in south-east Wales? OAQ(5)0451(FM)

We plan to continue to support businesses in their growth, to invest in high-quality infrastructure and to improve economic development conditions.

I thank the First Minister for that response. There has been good news on jobs recently, and I welcome the fact that British Biocell International Ltd is moving from Llanishen to Crumlin, staying in Wales and with an increase in numbers. But that does mean that these jobs are leaving Llanishen at the same time as there are plans for S4C to move to Central Square, Cardiff, and to Carmarthen, and also, at the same time as the tax offices are planning to move down to Central Square. So, there’s a huge exodus of jobs from one very small area in the constituency. So, I wondered if the First Minister had any suggestions about what strategies could be undertaken to ensure that that area does continue to be a mixed area, where there is the possibility of getting local jobs, because this is a big change to the job scene there.

Yes, I am aware that Cardiff’s local development plan seeks to deliver 40,000 jobs over the period to 2026. That includes mixed-use urban extension to the north-east of Cardiff, providing a range and choice of jobs, homes and supporting infrastructure to meet the needs of existing and future communities.

Today, the UK National Cyber Security Centre is being opened in London, and the First Minister will be aware of the excellent National Cyber Security Academy in Newport, a partnership between Welsh Government, the private sector and higher education. So, it’s very disappointing that the UK’s centre is going to be located in London, as if London hasn’t got enough support from the UK Government in that respect. So, what representations did the First Minister make to try and get the UK centre to locate alongside the cyber academy in Newport, so that our country could have benefited from the jobs that will come? And, looking further to the future, will the First Minister commit to designating Newport the cyber security capital of Wales so that we can, in future, leverage greater opportunities to that community?

An interesting idea again, and something, certainly, that I will look into. I will write to the Member in terms of what representations were made about the National Cyber Security Academy. It is an initiative, in principle, that we have supported, but I will write to him with further details in terms of how the centre was established and why it was established in London.

First Minister, as Cardiff continues to create jobs and attract very many visitors, we are seeing more and more congestion on the roads. I notice that there’s now a proposal to examine the feasibility of using the Taff and the bay as our main water arterial routes around the city—already popular for tourists, but it might have a commercial application as well in moving commuters. Is the Government prepared to look at this?

I did see that. It’s a matter, ultimately, of course, for Cardiff council, if I remember rightly, in terms of their management of the waterways. I know, in the summer, that the service is very, very successful; in the winter, less so. People tend to see the service more as a tourism service, rather than a commuting service. But we know there are examples elsewhere—not just in the UK, but around the world—where water bus services have been successful. And, certainly, I would want to look to work with the operators, with the city council and others to see whether such a service will be feasible in the future.

First Minister, you explained last week that, although the Welsh Revenue Authority is being created, nearly all of the staff are having to be recruited in London because we just don’t have the skilled people here in Wales, and this is a persistent problem. But it does rather beg the question of what your Government has been doing about skills and training over the last 17 years.

Well, the Welsh Revenue Authority was merely a twinkling in the eye 17 years ago. The issue is this: the function the revenue authority will perform has never been performed in Wales before. So, we shouldn’t be afraid of the fact that we do need to bring skills in from elsewhere to set up the authority and, ultimately, to train our own people in order that they are able to provide those skills in the future. But to criticise us for not having the foresight 17 years ago—up to 17 years ago—in terms of establishing an authority that no-one thought would ever be established at that point, I think is stretching things a bit too far.