QNR – in the Senedd on 21 March 2017.
We have been clear that identifying opportunities for decent employment is a key role of the ministerial taskforce for the Valleys. We will only achieve our ambitions for more prosperous valleys communities if people have access to decent, sustainable work.
Agriculture is a vital industry to Wales and a crucial backbone of the Welsh rural economy. The Welsh Government is working in partnership with the industry to support farming to become more profitable, sustainable, resilient and professionally managed.
I last met the Taoisech, in Wales, on Friday 10 March.
The national transport finance plan sets out the measures we are taking to ensure that south-east Wales is connected via a reliable, modern and integrated transport network.
All 33 recommendations from the ‘Talented Women for a Successful Wales’ report were supported by the Welsh Government. Many of these points call for action to ensure more women work in STEM jobs. The Minister for Skills and Science is to chair a programme board to assist the report’s implementation.
Since the payment window opening on 1 December, over 97 per cent of eligible farm businesses have received their payment, totalling over £212 million. We expect to pay all but the most complex cases by the middle of April.
I welcome the move to a reserved-powers model, which will be introduced by the Wales Act 2017, and which will place the structure of our devolution settlement on the same footing as Scotland.