1. What discussions has the First Minister had with the Minister for Economy and Transport on Pencoed road and rail capacity issues? OAQ53287

I thank the Member for the question. I am aware from my discussions with him that the Minister for Economy and Transport met with Assembly Members, councillors and Members of Parliament on Monday to discuss road and rail capacity in relation to Pencoed.

I thank the First Minister for that answer, and could I, through him, just convey my thanks to the Minister for Economy and Transport? He has been endlessly lobbied by me, and I've brought delegations of the council leader, town councillors from Pencoed town council and others, and he's engaged very constructively, I have to say, with us. 

The two sides of this town are separated now by a level crossing that can be shut in peak times for up to 40 minutes in an hour and a narrow Victorian road bridge that allows only for one-way traffic determined by a three-way traffic light system. This can lead to utter gridlock in the town, immense frustration for residents and businesses, air pollution and congestion, and a dead hand on housing and wider economic development. It's also notorious, by the way—the level crossing—for its accidents and its close shaves with pedestrians and traffic, and, of course, the stretch is unfortunately also infamous for fatalities through suicide. 

So, the recently announced £60,000 grant from the Welsh Government transport grant to take forward a feasibility study into resolving these issues is an important step forward, and we truly thank the Welsh Government for this. First Minister, we've spent several years to get to a point where we now have all the right players at the table: Network Rail, Bridgend County Borough Council, Pencoed town council, local councillors, a Member of Parliament, and even an observer present—[Interruption.]

I'm sure the Member is coming to his question. 

I am. And even an observer presence from the Wales Office as well. But would he agree with me that if public support, and only after proper consultation, a significant multimillion pound scheme were to proceed, this would need all those players to play their part? And I wonder what the Welsh Government could do to encourage Westminster and the Department for Transport to step up to the mark as well. 

I thank the Member for that supplementary question. And, Llywydd, returning early this morning from Tata Steel, where the Minister and I had been with David Rees celebrating the refit of the new blast furnace 5, and discussing that matter, we took the opportunity to go off the road and to see the sight of the level crossing. And once you see it for yourself, you absolutely understand the points that Huw Irranca-Davies is making, and I wanted to pay tribute to the indefatigable way in which I know that he has pursued this issue, not just in this Assembly, but when he was a Member of Parliament as well, attempting to get a solution to what is, as Members have heard, a very real blight on the need to bring about improvement in that area. 

I am very glad that the Welsh Government has been able to put some money on the table to break the deadlock that otherwise was there, but the Member is completely right in saying that our money—the £60,000 we have put forward for the feasibility study—will only really bear fruit when the results of a feasibility study are funded, and, for that, we will need the help of the Department for Transport in London, as well as our own resources. 

Well, I'll have to check my e-mail because I don't think I was invited to that meeting as a regional Assembly Member. We all know there's a dire lack of investment in south Wales west train lines. A report received by the Economy and Infrastructure Committee, by Rowland Pittard, noted that there was, and I quote,

'a long history of promises' of a half-hourly service from Maesteg, and it suggests that bus routes to the area are pretty shambolic as well. What is your Government going to do to increase public transport accessibility to people in my region who have been waiting for quite some time for progress in this area?

Well, Llywydd, I'm sure the Member will have welcomed the plans that have already been published for a Sunday service from Maesteg to Cardiff, stopping at Pencoed, which will begin this year. She will have welcomed the fact that, from the autumn of this year, there will be upgraded rolling stock, producing a 45 per cent increase in capacity on morning journeys from Maesteg, and I know that she will have welcomed the fact that, by December 2023, the running time between Cardiff and Maesteg will have been reduced from 55 minutes to 46 minutes, as a result of decisions made by this Welsh Labour Government.