It must be acknowledged by all parties in this Assembly that the intransigence of the UK Government in both the commitment to funding and the devolution of the necessary powers to the Welsh Government is making procurement and the franchise award infinitely more difficult for the Welsh Government to realise its ambitions for rail services in Wales and the delivery of the metro. This must also be seen in the light that in order to deliver these objectives, the Welsh Government has decided to instigate a totally new governing body in the form of Transport Wales. We also acknowledge the huge complexities in the transfer of the ownership of the core Valleys lines and the ongoing commitment this means for the Welsh Government. Perhaps the Cabinet Secretary could also update us on the position with regard to the £125 million that was promised for electrification of the core Valleys lines, and whether this will be forthcoming if electrification does not go ahead. Given these issues, or perhaps one would say ‘almost insurmountable difficulties’, is the Cabinet Secretary confident that the aspirations of the Welsh Government for the rail network in Wales, as envisaged, will indeed by achieved?

Following an update session with the Cabinet Secretary’s staff yesterday, I fully understand why the Welsh Government has decided to go ahead with the issues of the tenders. We were told that if matters went beyond Christmas, there was a very real possibility of two bidders dropping out of the tender process. UKIP calls upon the UK Government to give full funding and devolvement to the Welsh Government.