Part of 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:31 pm on 16 January 2019.
Obviously, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for north Wales, for Wales and for the UK. The Hitachi technology is recognised as being the most reliable technology that can be deployed, and it's important that the UK Government does all it can to secure that investment and the Hitachi technology for Anglesey.
I disagree with the Member, and I think the Member, if he had correct intelligence, would agree with me that calling in the planning application was not a significant issue whatsoever. What really changed in the last month or so, or, actually, more than the last month, because I think the UK Government were probably aware of the situation about a month ago—. But what has happened steadily has been a lack of and a loss of interest by the UK Government, both at official level and at a ministerial level. And that was highlighted just last week when the Prime Minister was in Japan and failed to raise this vitally important project whilst on a visit there. And just as I said yesterday—I'll repeat today—this is not a purely commercial matter for Hitachi. This programme would provide up to 10 per cent of the UK's energy and work for thousands of people during construction, and hundreds of people for many generations to come. And so, I would call on the UK Government again, even in these final hours, to make every effort to get the right decision made at the Hitachi board tomorrow.