2. Will the First Minister make a statement on the consequences to Wales of the UK Government's withdrawal from proposed investment in Welsh infrastructure? OAQ53508

Thank you. We are disappointed with the UK Government’s recent investment decisions in Welsh infrastructure projects. The Swansea bay tidal lagoon, electrification of the Swansea main line, and a failure to secure the Wylfa Newydd project are three recent examples of the UK Government’s failure to invest in non-devolved infrastructure in Wales.

I thank you for that, and I share your huge disappointment, as I know lots of Members in this room do. It's very disappointing to learn how much the Welsh economy is losing out because of backtracking from the UK Government on those projects that you've just mentioned. But I'm also concerned about how the withdrawal of the UK Government from those proposed investments in Welsh infrastructure will impact on apprenticeships and graduate training roles in Wales. It is, after all, this week, National Apprenticeship Week. If I compare the withdrawal of those to the delivery of our project, the Newtown bypass, it was a really good example of creating apprenticeships. And I went to speak to them, and there were 18 of those apprenticeships and graduate training posts created as a consequence of us going further. So, First Minister, can I ask if you will look at, and the Welsh Government will look at, how we can move forward and prompt the UK Government to invest in Wales and the infrastructure in Wales, so that we can give hope to those people whose futures we should be securing?

Thank you. I think you're quite right—the loss of these very significant infrastructure projects to Wales is going to be a huge blow for many young people, because I think the three projects I mentioned would offer significant career opportunities to young people. However, we are committed to supporting our young people across Wales to enter employment, education, and training opportunities. You mentioned it's National Apprenticeship Week this week. Obviously, we have our 100,000 target of apprentices this Assembly term, and we're well on track with that.

You ask about what we can do to prompt the UK Government. Well, the First Minister is, I think, frequently writing to UK Government Ministers; I know he wrote to Greg Clark about energy infrastructure. We are continuing to look at ways of resurrecting plans for the Swansea bay lagoon. Wylfa Newydd, obviously, has been paused, and we're continuing to seek assurances from the UK Government in relation to that. And also, around Swansea electrification, I know Welsh Government officials continue to meet with counterparts, as well as having ministerial engagement, to try and get that moving forward also.

The Cardiff capital region city deal was agreed by the UK Government, the Welsh Government and 10 local authorities back in March 2016, and I hope you would agree this is a good example of the Welsh and UK Governments working together to deliver major infrastructure projects. In the coming years, the UK Government will be providing hundreds of millions of pounds of funding to growth deals throughout Wales, including in my own area of mid Wales as well, and, in turn, that funding will be used to provide new infrastructure and transport infrastructure for projects going forward as well. Will the Minister today acknowledge the UK Government's financial support for growth deals and welcome the contribution that this funding will, in turn, make to the long-term improvement of transport infrastructure throughout Wales?

I think it's very important that we get the money that's intended for those growth deals. I know up in north Wales there are certainly concerns about that. But both the Cardiff capital project and Swansea have the support of both Governments.

The impact of a series, a catalogue now, of failures of investment in Wales are many—the large projects that have been mentioned by my colleagues, but they also have local impacts. Within the Bridgend and Ogmore constituencies, the investment that we need in the mainline rail, but also in signalling, and so on, is a measure of, year after year, underinvestment by UK Network Rail. Now, we need the UK Government and the Department for Transport to step up to the mark on those projects as well, and put the money in that will free up capacity on our mainline rail, that will allow more passengers and freight to be carried, that will shift people off those roads. So, it's not only the big projects. And I would suggest to the Minister, in her discussions with the First Minister, perhaps in discussions with the Prime Minister, Theresa May, an appeal could be made to her—the old-fashioned title of the Conservative and Unionist Party—if they want to maintain it as the union of the United Kingdom, then actually invest in the union.

The Member makes a very pertinent point. Despite Network Rail's Wales route having 11 per cent of the route length, 11 per cent of the stations and 20 per cent of the level crossings across England and Wales, only an average of around 2 per cent of money spent on network enhancements across England and Wales since 2011 has been spent here. We should have been allocated well over £1 billion in the last five years alone. Imagine what we could do with that.