Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:12 pm on 27 June 2017.
I can tell Members, as I said in my contribution to Russell George, that we have spoken to TVR, Aston Martin Lagonda, Jaguar Land Rover and other stakeholders. As far as TVR is concerned, the plans are still there to build the car with the launch this autumn and to build it in Blaenau Gwent. We are working incredibly closely, not just with TVR, but with the supply chain to ensure that we get maximum benefit from that new product, which will be proudly built in Blaenau Gwent. We will continue to support TVR, Aston Martin, Toyota, Ford and all other parts of the Welsh automotive sector.
I think it’s foolish to believe that you could approve a project without undergoing thorough due diligence, which is what the Member has repeatedly called on Welsh Government to do since last summer. I think it’s foolish, because it’s only through the process of due diligence that we were able to then go to ONS and Her Majesty’s Treasury and be able to assess the risk in the way that it’s weighted and the likelihood of it being on balance.
In terms of the note that he mentions concerning Aviva, and the way that there appears to be, at the moment, no showstoppers, well, the whole point of due diligence is that you strip away all of what appears to be the case and you actually get to the facts and then the facts are scrutinised accordingly. I know that the Member has been tweeting quite busily today about the legal charges. I can say that Welsh Government is not liable for costs incurred by any of the other parties in developing the project and we are not anticipating any claims for costs being made.
My officials have held weekly meetings with the Heads of the Valleys Development Company—weekly meetings—to ensure that every opportunity is given to make this project workable. I do think that whilst this has been a test for Welsh Government, of course, this has also been a test for this institution. And it’s important that each and every Member scrutinises every proposal that crosses a desk, and I think it’s absolutely essential, moving forward, that Members do just that.