Further, does the Cabinet Secretary recognise that it is rising residential values that will unlock many more sites in Newport and help house builders pay towards infrastructure, section 106 agreements and affordable housing? I would emphasise that house building does not just increase the amount and choice of housing available; it also drives economic growth, creates jobs and generates tax revenue. 

Land transaction tax is now devolved, and a good slice of income tax will be from April. If Newport is able to attract more people working in Bristol on good salaries, both Newport and Welsh Government will benefit. Higher numbers of professionals living in the centre of the city will also boost demand for reviving the night-time, retail and leisure economies in Newport. That, of course, would also be supported by more action to improve the street scene, particularly pavements and shop frontages. We also need council and police to redouble their efforts to keep people secure in the city centre, particularly at night. I should also recognise that I've agreed that Jayne Bryant will have a minute of time later, and I look forward to hearing her thoughts on some of these issues.

Cabinet Secretary, I believe that you have an ambition that we should be able to travel between Cardiff Central and Bristol Temple Meads in just half an hour. Could you clarify whether that allows for a stop in Newport? Could you also explain the likely impact of changes in Network Rail's electrification plans? We rightly hear a lot about the disappointment caused by cancellation of electrification between Cardiff and Swansea. Could you also tell us what impact changed plans for electrification, following the very sharp increase in costs compared to what had been expected when the electrification was agreed initially—the changes between the main line and Bristol Temple Meads—what impact will those have on our ambitions to improve connectivity between Cardiff, Newport and Bristol?

Also, what can the Cabinet Secretary tell us about the delay to the major timetable changes that are needed before we can benefit from faster travel times to London from south Wales? Do we not also need a completely new approach for stopping services along the south Wales main line? Usage of Severn Tunnel Junction station has quadrupled. We have a very welcome £50 million investment for a new station at Llanwern. I'm also grateful that the Cabinet Secretary has been encouraging when he's met campaigners for a new walkway station at Magor and Undy. Amazingly, we may also be set to see a new privately funded train station at St Mellons, which could constitute a Cardiff parkway. It would keep many thousands of cars out of Cardiff, but it would also surely require, along with what is happening in Newport, a totally new pattern of service along the south Wales main line. Does the Welsh Government's ambition match the opportunity available?

Cabinet Secretary, you have responsibility for economic development in Wales, but Newport also needs you to navigate changing responsibilities and accountability on the other side of the Severn to support cross-border economic development. As well as Marvin Rees, elected mayor of Bristol, we now have Tim Bowles, elected as mayor for the West of England Combined Authority, with substantial powers relevant to your portfolio here. Mayor Bowles has put an awful lot of emphasis on links with south Wales, and he says that his region looks towards London and the south-east of England as the strongest economic area in the UK, but the west of England also generates positive GVA, and he thinks he has a lot in common with us in south Wales in looking to improve that link and ensure that more of that economic prosperity comes further west to benefit our people. When I met Mayor Bowles, last month, he was keen to work more closely with you as Cabinet Secretary, as well as with the Cardiff city region. Beyond residential development, he sees great opportunities for us in Newport and beyond to take up manufacturing and commercial projects too from the west of England, where site availability is more constrained. These Islands recently published a piece by Nicolas Webb on the opportunities and challenges for the Severn region. He says,

'To plan for the economic future of South East Wales without paying attention to the economic success of Bristol would be akin to Connecticut ignoring the presence of New York City.' and that it is absurd to see commuting from Newport to Bristol as a threat to the local economy. Does the Cabinet Secretary agree?

Employment in Cardiff is becoming increasingly concentrated in the centre, well served by public transport. Newport employment is more reliant on business parks off the M4, reinforced by welcome investment in compound semiconductors and the ONS-supported data science park. We need traffic to flow on that M4. While the M4 relief road will benefit Newport directly, through its junctions near Llanwern and the docks and by offering a faster route, the biggest benefit for Newport would be cutting congestion on the current M4. That would mean easier access to employment. It would also mean improved air quality. 

Cabinet Secretary, are you going to keep your manifesto promise: 'We will deliver a relief road for the M4'? I understand planning law requires the First Minister to take a planning decision on the basis of the report from the public inquiry. However, is this now to be followed by, and subject to, a further and separate decision by Welsh Government on whether actually to deliver the project, despite it being a manifesto commitment? Cabinet Secretary, can voters in Newport rely on what you promised them in your manifesto? Will you support Newport's economy with the infrastructure it needs to exploit its opportunities?