10. Plaid Cymru debate: Young people and communities in Wales

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:56 pm on 14 March 2018.

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Photo of Lee Waters Lee Waters Labour 4:56, 14 March 2018

Well, I'd warmly welcome that; that is not in the scheme that's been agreed between the Government and Plaid Cymru, as I understand it. If there was able to be a much sharper focus on that, I think that would be an excellent thing. But that is not what I understand has been agreed. If you're willing to tell me I'm wrong, I'd be delighted to put that on the record. But, it's not too late to shape this. I would certainly happily work with Plaid Cymru to try and influence the Government in this direction because that's where I think our support should be being put.

And the second point, which we've also discussed in this Chamber, is the idea of the foundational economy that really could help rural areas. We have put far too much emphasis over many years on orthodox approaches to attracting industry in, and I think we've debated many times the need to harness the everyday businesses and economies that exist in our communities. The businesses are there because the people are there. The industries that fuel the food that we eat, the homes we live in and the care that we receive; these account for four in 10 jobs, and we need a far sharper focus on this.

I was very disappointed in the Government's economic action plan that talks about foundational sectors almost as a sleight of hand for not addressing the need to harness the foundational economy, which is a different paradigm shift approach to the way we do economic development in this country. I was very disappointed that having given the impression of supporting that idea, in fact that idea is not being supported in the economic action plan. That is the sort of thing we can develop to give people incentives to stay in their communities and to have an ambition around both those things, that there can be a future for future generations in the communities that people have grown up with. So, I think we need to move away from the established solutions and think a little more imaginatively.