Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at 1:55 pm on 13 June 2018.
I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that response. I am pleased to hear, in particular, that there will be no stop to the way that we’re collaborating with young people. Some will have been disappointed by this programme, but I hope that the Cabinet Secretary will still keep an eye on the possibilities of including young people in developing the future of the industry in Wales.
Could I now turn now to the question of the Swansea bay tidal lagoon? Of course, in drawing up my question today, I had anticipated that we would have heard an announcement, but we’re still waiting. What we don’t know, of course, is whether we’re waiting because a decision is yet to be made, or whether we are still waiting because they haven’t decided when to release this information quietly. And in that context, can I ask the Cabinet Secretary, as the Government has made it entirely clear now that there is £200 million on the table from this Government to assist and promote that scheme, has that offer been taken seriously by the Westminster Government? Have they responded? Have they offered negotiations? Have they invited you or any other Member of the Government to London to discuss how that money could bring the tidal lagoon to fruition? And in that context, have you made any decision on how to push this proposal forward, so that a decision that will be beneficial to Wales can be made?