It's a great pleasure to take part in this debate, even though I'm not a member of the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee, but I've accepted the Chair's invitation and I'm willing to contribute to the debate.

The United Kingdom Government, through its city deals, and the Welsh Government, through its economic strategy that is committed to an economic development model that is regionally based, have set a new direction for economic policies for Wales. In a nation where wealth and public expenditure tend to be focused on one corner of the nation at the expense of other areas, giving due consideration to economic development on a geographical basis in an attempt to attract investment and opportunities to disadvantaged areas is to be welcomed. However, in so doing, there are risks that we must consider. The inquiry revealed concerns as to whether any positive effects of the city deals would reach the most disadvantaged people in an area, and whether competition between regions could see some places thriving at the expense of others.

However, one element that has to be welcomed from both Governments’ efforts to regionalise economic development is the collaboration that this entails between businesses, local authorities, the new city region boards, the Welsh Government and the United Kingdom Government. City deals make it easier to collaborate with areas over the border in England. Cross-border collaboration is important, not just for Wales, but for any nation in a globalised world.

However, nobody's arguing that the Welsh Government should prioritise establishing trade links between Cardiff and Bangor, for example, within Wales, which is 190 miles away, as compared to Bristol, which is only 40 miles away from Cardiff. However, we are in danger of looking to the east too often for the answers to our problems. In so doing, decisions such as those on investment in infrastructure are made based on this particular priority.

The Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns, held a Severn growth summit this week, which saw businesses, local authorities and academics coming together to discuss the opportunities that may follow the abolition of the Severn bridge tolls. The decision to abolish these tolls on the Severn bridge could lead to the creation of a western powerhouse stretching from Bath and Bristol to Newport, Cardiff and Swansea, boosting prosperity and jobs, according to the Secretary of State. As I said earlier, cross-border collaboration is vital, but it must be based on a fair partnership that is beneficial to communities on both sides of Offa’s Dyke. This must mean that efforts are made to ensure that investment comes to Wales, to Cardiff, Newport and Swansea, to create quality jobs here and to not just facilitate a commute for people living here to jobs in Bristol or Bath.

Moreover, what about the area to the west of Swansea? With regard to the United Kingdom Government’s decision not to invest in the electrification of the railway from Cardiff to Swansea, the impression that this gives to investors is that there's no point considering investing in areas beyond Cardiff, not to mention beyond Swansea. The Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee’s report notes concerns that regionalisation could lead to winners and losers, with some areas benefiting at the expense of others. But it's impossible to overstate how dangerous this idea of city deals and economic regions are to communities in the far west of Wales, bearing in mind that the development of a cross-border economy is the priority of Governments at both ends of the M4. Thank you very much.