Growing the Mid Wales Economy

Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport – in the Senedd at 2:09 pm on 10 January 2018.

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Photo of Mr Simon Thomas Mr Simon Thomas Plaid Cymru 2:09, 10 January 2018

I would like to ask you, Cabinet Secretary, around the mid Wales growth deal, because I was very interested in the announcement in the budget, so I wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer following the budget and had a reply back on 19 December, which says as follows: that the Government is open to proposals for a mid Wales growth deal. That's not the same as a commitment, which has been mentioned by Russell George and others, and I want to understand what commitment there is to invest UK Government money in mid Wales. I welcome what you've just said about a match fund to work up some of the ideas that have been floated around in mid Wales, but are we likely to see real cash on the table from the UK Government, and are you having discussions to make that rather weak half-promise something that we can actually translate into economic activity on the ground in mid Wales?