3. Can the Minister please update the National Assembly on EU funding for skills training in Wales? OAQ52961

Within the skills portfolio, we are leading on nine European social fund projects, with £340 million approved to December 2023. Around 105,000 participants have been supported to date, and we expect to support a further 125,000 to underpin a number of 'Prosperity for All' commitments and to deliver those key ministerial priorities. 

Thank you for that answer, Minister. It's clear to me that the European Union has been a great benefit in funding skills and training opportunities. Certainly in my constituency of Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, the funds provided by the European social fund have a clear focus on the essential task of getting many vulnerable people back into the labour market. So, can you provide my constituents with any assurance that the strong record of investment in skills training will continue if we leave the European Union? 

Well, of course it's difficult to provide assurances on anything at the moment, but we can hopefully rely on the assurance given by the Treasury that, whatever happens, even if there is a 'no deal', that we will have a guarantee that that funding will continue until 2020. If there's a transition deal, then officials are seeking to ensure that any money remaining within that ESF pot as a result of the fact that there have been massive fluctuations in the exchange rate, means that we hopefully will be able to carry on spending that money until 2023. But I think it's worth really underlining the massive, massive amount of support that communities like yours have received as a result of European funding. It's a shame that, perhaps, not more of those people who've benefited from those courses have really understood where that money came from.  

We’ve heard from the Graeme Reid report that there is, perhaps, an over-reliance on European funding sources. Clearly that’s been natural because that funding’s been available, but there are sources for innovation that are available from elsewhere within the UK that universities and FE colleges could bid for so that they could do more as institutions and then do that on a commercial level further down the line. So, how would you respond to that suggestion by Graeme Reid, and are you as a Government doing enough to encourage universities and FE institutions to make applications in these areas?

Well, I think that my colleague is leading on this, but what I can say is that I think there are other sources that we could bid for to ensure that we get more of that funding into Wales. But I also think that it’s important for us to emphasise that it isn't only the Government’s responsibility to fund research and development. The private sector also must put their hands in their pockets. If look across the world, we spend about 1.5 per cent of our whole GDP on R&D; in the USA, they spend about 3 per cent. So, we have got some way to go in improving the level of funding—. The biggest difference is because the private sector in this country perhaps doesn't put as much of its money into the system.

Minister, the UK Government has confirmed that there'll be no gap in funding for regional growth in the event of a 'no deal' Brexit. This guarantee includes European social funding projects. Will the Minister confirm, therefore, that, should the Welsh Government fail to deliver on its promise of 100,000 apprenticeships in this term, it will be the Welsh Government's responsibility and failure?

Well, Mohammad, I'm delighted to say that we're ahead of target in terms of the apprenticeship delivery, and I'm fairly confident that I can say that we are going to bust that target of 100,000 apprenticeships. There's more money that we think will be coming in that area. This is something we're absolutely committed to as a Welsh Government. We're very proud of our record on this. So, I'm fairly confident that I can say that we will hit that target and that, actually, we will go beyond it.