2. Will the Cabinet Secretary outline the action the Welsh Government is taking to develop the life sciences sector in Wales? OAQ51861

Yes. 'Prosperity for All', our national strategy, sets out our intention to blend multiple policy aims and objectives. This partnership approach offers benefits to the life sciences sector in Wales, contributing to economic growth whilst also improving the efficiency and affordability of health services and, of course, improving the well-being of citizens across our country.

Thank you. Cabinet Secretary, I want to congratulate you on the work you are doing with the pharmaceutical sector in Wales, and welcome the announcement you made earlier today at the BioWales 2018 conference. The future of the pharmaceutical sector in Wales is not in the manufacturing of drugs but in the researching of new medicines. What is your Government doing to support increased links between the pharma sector and Welsh universities?

Well, can I thank the Member for her question? This is a timely moment to be able to discuss the life sciences sector, given BioWales 2018 is taking place just next door at the Wales Millennium Centre, and I was delighted to be there this morning to launch the occasion. There are 365 companies in the life sciences sector across Wales, employing more than 12,000 in well-paid high-quality jobs. So, it's a crucial sector for our economy, and we see life sciences businesses thrive right across Wales in many of our communities. So, it's not a sector that is just confined to one specific location in Wales.

Now, I'm pleased to say that, as a consequence of A Regional Collaboration for Health, ARCH, we are seeing a £200 million project being developed, which comprises two proposals: for the creation of a wellness village and life sciences village in Llanelli, and also a life sciences and well-being campus project at the Morriston campus of Swansea University. What's crucially important about this development is that it overlaps perfectly with the Swansea bay city deal, of which, of course, health and well-being is a very prominent theme. That particular project aims to create more than 1,800—again high-quality well-paid—jobs in the coming years, and will benefit the economy by more than £460 million. I think this is just the sort of collaborative effort that needs to be replicated across Wales. We see in the north, in the south-east and west efforts being undertaken to bring together academia and business, and I think, in the life sciences sector, there are some excellent examples of that delivering real results.

Can I congratulate the Cabinet Secretary on assuming responsibility for the city deals into his portfolio now? You've anticipated my question, to some degree, on the back of that. You referred to the life sciences campus and the sites there. Part of their role is to attract investment in for the whole of the city deal concept, if you like. Will you be expecting that investment to take the form of both public funds and private investment? I know there's a strong emphasis, as there should be, on private investment, but, with the potential loss of EU funding sources, what are you doing in looking at alternative public sector routes for that?

Well, we've repurposed the Life Sciences Hub Wales to ensure that there is a greater degree of overlap between what's happening in the business community and the needs of patients and people in Wales. In terms of the city deal, I think there would be an expectation not just of private sector investment but also the potential to draw in public sector investment through the NHS and through social care providers. I think, again, the city deal in Swansea makes for a perfect opportunity to promote health and well-being as a priority, not just for that region but also as a priority for the whole of Wales.