Enterprise Zones

Part of 2. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:26 pm on 14 November 2017.

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Photo of David Rees David Rees Labour 2:26, 14 November 2017

Thank you for that answer, First Minister. In July, your Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure made a statement on enterprise zones in which he stated that the enterprise zone programme, 

'continues to contribute to the Welsh Government’s objectives in our Programme for Government',  and I fully support that. Last month, in a letter to me, he stated that the strategy for the Port Talbot waterfront enterprise zone—and I quote—

'is based around established employment sites in the area which have significant capacity for supporting further business investment.' 

He goes on to say that the Welsh Government is

'continuing to build on the world class advanced manufacturing skills in the area to create jobs and employment.'

Now, I fully support that ambition and the direction of economic growth for Port Talbot and want to see it come to fruition, particularly as the long-term future of the steelworks is still unclear without having the detail yet for that ThyssenKrupp/Tata joint venture and with the relining of blast furnace No. 5 not being made quite specific yet. But First Minister, as you know, the enterprise zone in Port Talbot actually includes Baglan industrial park with its associated covenant, which says it's to be used for industrial purposes. Therefore, can I ask you to listen not just to my voice but to the voices of over 8,500 of my constituents and reject approaches by the Ministry of Justice to use that land for a prison and instead stick to the Welsh Government's plans to use all the land within the enterprise zone to support business investment that delivers economic growth and job creation based upon the skills base within Port Talbot? I can tell you a prison will not do that.