Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport – in the Senedd at 1:59 pm on 28 November 2018.
Suzy Davies raises a really important point, and that is the role of the public sector in driving a greater degree of inclusive growth in our economy. I've spoken with colleagues right across Government about adopting the economic contract and extending it to other areas of service of Government activity, but also to the public sector, so it's my hope that, as we extend the economic contract, we include within it local authorities, potentially health boards, national sponsored bodies and arm's-length bodies, so that as many businesses as possible in the supply chain are able to gain opportunities from the public sector, where the public sector are paying the real living wage and, therefore, driving up salary levels. I think it's essential that the message we give to the private sector is matched by the message we give to the public sector. And so the application of the economic contract across the public and the private sectors is something that I think is highly desirable.