6. 6. Welsh Conservatives Debate: Welsh Government Performance

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:31 pm on 15 March 2017.

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Photo of David Rees David Rees Labour 4:31, 15 March 2017

I’m delighted to speak in today’s debate, to set on the record the excellent work this Welsh Labour Government has done, and continues to do, as the people of Wales experience the impact of attacks and failure of the Tory Government at Westminster. Members will only need to look at my own constituency to see how the Welsh Labour Government is providing strong leadership on economic support, together with investment for our future, whilst the Tory Government turns away from us.

Deputy Presiding Officer, I could actually spend the rest of the whole hour highlighting the Welsh Labour Government achievements and Tory failures, but in my contribution I’ll focus on just two examples that highlighted such differences. Firstly, the steel industry, as you would expect, often referred to as the beating heart of Port Talbot, has seen unwavering support from this Welsh Labour Government, and it remains committed to doing everything in its power to secure the long-term future of the Tata plants in Wales. It continues to work closely with the trade unions and Tata Steel in this regard, and since the announcements of job losses last year, and then the sale of Tata Steel’s business in the UK, this Welsh Government has offered significant conditional support to keep steel production and steel jobs at all Tata sites in Wales. Such support includes the provision of over £4 million for skills and training, a package that will help develop the future workforce of Tata’s Welsh sites, improving succession planning and facilitating the transfer of skills for the mature workforce to the young employees—a vitally important area to ensure the longevity of steel making in Wales, and which shows the Welsh Government’s confidence in the long-term production of steel in Wales.

The Welsh Government has also announced £8 million support towards an £18 million investment in the power plant at Port Talbot works, reducing energy costs and cutting carbon emissions. At the recent cross-party group on steel here at the Assembly, senior trade union officials told us this will be a game changer for Port Talbot, helping towards a reduction in energy costs. So, what has the Tory UK Government done? Any takers? [Interruption.] Oh, yes, I’m happy to take an intervention.