8. Welsh Conservatives debate: 'Prosperity for All'

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:26 pm on 24 January 2018.

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Photo of Darren Millar Darren Millar Conservative 6:26, 24 January 2018

Well, I think it's very clear from your contribution that you don't like the fact that there's collaboration and discussion going on with other parts of the United Kingdom, particularly England, in terms of trying to create prosperity within Wales. Now, I welcome the fact—[Interruption.] I welcome the fact that the Cabinet Secretary has made his position quite clear. He wants connections with areas in England that will serve the interests of the people of Wales in terms of boosting our prosperity. I welcome that and I back you on that as a Cabinet Secretary because I believe that that's the right way forward. But what I am concerned about is that we haven't got our transport infrastructure right, we haven't got our broadband infrastructure right. I'm very concerned about the state of the A55, I'm very concerned about the disparity in terms of the investment in the south versus the investment in the north. One clear example of that is the south Wales metro, something that I welcome and we support—£2 billion-worth of expenditure, and yet the amount that you've allocated for the north-east Wales metro, £50 million. Fifty million pounds versus two thousand million pounds. What could be a bigger contrast than that? We need some investment.

One final point, if I may, Llywydd, on Cardiff Airport, which was referred to earlier on. I welcome the fact that Cardiff Airport is eventually going to lift itself into making profits rather than losses for the taxpayer. When Cardiff Airport was purchased for £52 million, in terms of the overall investment, that was predicated on that business making a profit much earlier than it's going to make a profit. And, actually, if you looked at the forecasts that were provided to the Public Accounts Committee during our inquiry—