2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:31 pm on 3 July 2018.

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Photo of David Rees David Rees Labour 2:31, 3 July 2018

Leader of the house, I'd like to ask for three statements this afternoon, please. I'll do the two easy ones first. The Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services yesterday issued a statement regarding the concordat that the Welsh Government has reached with the Ministry of Justice. Reading through the concordat, it actually describes mainly functions, but it doesn't rule out the possibility of discussions on a future superprison on Welsh Government-owned land. So, could you ask the Cabinet Secretary to actually bring a statement to the house, so we can ask questions on that concordat, on what it actually means regarding the justice issues that we have fought for for so long in Port Talbot? I want to make sure that what we've achieved to date remains achieved. 

On the second point, we're obviously awaiting the White Paper on the future relationship of the UK with the EU. We all await with bated breath. Last week, I was in Brussels talking to many, many individuals over there who expressed deep concern over the failure of being able to get somewhere simply because they didn't know where they were going. Can we have a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance or the First Minister once that White Paper is published, so we can see and ask questions as to how it affects Wales and what we see as the future as a consequence of that White Paper, so that we ensure, in the very short time we have left before a decision is reached, that we are able to express those views clearly and to have consultations with businesses in particular who have already indicated their concerns over the future relationship with the EU?

Thirdly, the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport has left now, but it would be interesting to have a statement on the steel industry and the agreement that was reached last Friday between ThyssenKrupp AG and Tata. That clearly puts a provision in place for medium-term sustainability until 2026. As has already been stated this afternoon, there'll be no compulsory redundancies before that point, and the upgrade of blast furnace No. 5 will last roughly that period of time. But it is important, when we look at the long-term sustainability of the works, and the future here in Wales, and the long-term impact—. I would like to understand what the Welsh Government's position is on the long-term position of steel in Wales, and how we can support the industry, and in particular the Tata and ThyssenKrupp merger, to ensure that the industry doesn't suffer in 10 years' time, and that it isn't a short-term stop gap to keep people happy now; it is actually something that we've always believed in, which is that there's a future for steel making here in the UK, and particularly here in Wales.