9. Will the First Minister make a statement on the North Wales growth deal? OAQ(5)0612(FM)

Yes. We continue to press the case for a north Wales growth bid with the UK Government. The reference by the Chancellor to the north Wales growth bid in his recent budget—which seems some time ago now—is a positive step forward, and we trust the UK Government will maintain that commitment.

Thank you, First Minister. A key part of the north Wales growth deal is Wyfla Newydd, the nuclear power plant that is going to be built on Anglesey, which will create many well-paid jobs—highly skilled—not just on Anglesey but throughout the whole of north Wales. Now, having read through the Labour Party’s manifesto, there is clear support for our nuclear energy sector, but, just days before the general election was called, Labour’s shadow Chancellor vowed to end nuclear power as part of the Labour Government’s first 100 days in office. Now, it is well known, of course, about the fact that Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labour Party, has, for many years, opposed nuclear power. Could you take this opportunity to not only clarify your and your Government’s opinion and goals for nuclear power, but also the Labour Party’s aspirations for the nuclear industry?

We are 100 per cent committed to Wylfa Newydd. We have already been working with Wylfa itself and also with skills suppliers in order to make sure that as many local people as possible have the skills that will be required there. It will provide many temporary construction jobs and, importantly, around 600 jobs in the community. There is no wavering in our support for the project.

Firstly, can I thank you, First Minister, for the remarks that you’ve made this afternoon in relation to the attack in Manchester? I’m sure they’ll be words of comfort at this very difficult time for many families. As a Mancunian myself, I’m very familiar with that part of the world, and I know that some of my constituents were actually present at the event, because they have been in touch with me. There’s no doubt that events like this have an impact, not just on the night, for those who have been injured or lost their lives, but, indeed, for many years to come, including a psychological impact, potentially, for those who were present. Many of them, as you’ve already indicated, were, of course, teenagers. Now, as a father of teenagers, I know how important it is that young people receive support in a timely manner when they need it, and I was very pleased to hear that you are considering the establishment of a helpline for any individuals from Wales who may need access to support in the future. Can I just ask you to confirm that there will be that psychological support also—not just in terms of the physical support that might be available, but the psychological support, should it be needed by any of those young people, or, indeed, any of the adults who were attending last night, as well?

That’s the intention. The intention is that people can be signposted to organisations that can provide that support in the longer term. It tends to be the case with PTSD, for example, that people don’t see it at the beginning—it develops over time, as people begin to understand the consequences of what might have happened or understand the consequences of what they’ve seen. So, it is hugely important to make sure that that support is available, not just for a week or two, but over the course of time that the individual needs it in order to come to terms with what they’ve witnessed and what they’ve experienced.

We know that significant sums will be invested in light of this growth bid in north Wales, but the local authorities have come together to create a joint committee, which will oversee that process. But may I ask how you, as a Government, will ensure that these investments do reflect your strategic priorities in north Wales and aren’t led to run in parallel so that everything works together as one effort for economic regeneration in north Wales? Because I’m not really sure where the Government voice is heard within the context of this new joint committee, or other sectors, such as the business sector, higher education and further education in the region, which were prominent parts of the economic ambitions board, but will now have a non-voting role in these new structures.

Well, as regards the bid itself—for the city deal that’s taken place up until now, it’s the local authorities that are in the lead, and not the Welsh Government. We are part of the process, but they ensure that the governance structure is in place and that they consider regional projects, not just projects that benefit only one county. So, we, of course, want to ensure that the structures are in place. We’re confident that that is the case. We’ve seen the local governments working together, whoever may run those local authorities, and we are confident that the funding will be used in the way in which we would wish to see. And, of course, we will collaborate with local authorities to ensure that our priorities as a Government are secured. There isn’t very much difference between our priorities and the counties’ priorities in ensuring that there is development of benefit to everyone in the region over the years.

Diolch i’r Prif Weinidog.