Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport – in the Senedd at 1:58 pm on 2 May 2018.

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Photo of Ken Skates Ken Skates Labour 1:58, 2 May 2018

Look, I would urge caution in calling for concrete to be poured as soon as possible in road projects that are in individuals' constituencies and yet urging caution and restraint on building M roads and other major pieces of infrastructure. We need to be able to demonstrate that we are approaching every piece of infrastructure development in a dispassionate way and in a way that is objective, and that's the reason why we're setting up the national infrastructure commission for Wales, to be able to inform decisions in a depoliticised way with the assistance of experts.

I can tell the Member that, with regard to the Caernarfon to Bontnewydd bypass, this has taken up considerable amount of resource in terms of the independent inspectorate and in terms of Government officials' time, but I have sufficient officials to be able to deal with both this and the M4 and, indeed, many other projects, and I'll be making a decision in the coming three weeks on that particular programme. But the reason that it has taken time—and it's right to take time over such a project, given not just the cost but also the number of people who have engaged in the process of consultation—the inspector considered 20 expressions of support, but he also considered 160 objections, and in addition to this, there were 20 alternative routes that were proposed as part of the inquiry process. It's absolutely right that we uphold our statutory duties in giving careful consideration to an inspector's report before reaching a final decision, and certainly before pouring that concrete as the Member wishes us to do.