8. Does the First Minister have any plans to make official visits to European countries in the near future? OAQ(5)0558(FM)

Yes. My most recent visits were to Brussels and Norway, and I plan to visit Gibraltar in the near future.

I thank the First Minister for that response. Does he have any plans to visit the European Investment Bank in Luxembourg to state Wales’s case for future investment by the bank in projects in Wales like Velindre hospital in my constituency and to put the case for the UK to continue as a subscribing partner after we leave the EU?

Yes, I can say that a senior-official-level delegation visited the EIB in Luxembourg in October to maintain direct dialogue. The vice-president of the EIB visited Cardiff for a number of meetings on 9 February. But we strongly advocate that the UK should remain a sponsoring partner of the EIB. It doesn’t cost anything to the UK; UK contributions loan money, so it’s repayable over the terms of those loans. There is no reason, at all, why, in leaving the UK, we cannot remain part of the EIB infrastructure.

Thank you, First Minister.