Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Economy and Transport – in the Senedd at 1:59 pm on 20 March 2019.
Can I thank Rhianon Passmore for her question and recognise her keen interest in the automotive sector as well? I issued a written statement to Members at the start of March that described the ongoing activity in support of the Welsh automotive sector. Together with the Welsh automotive forum, we are taking forward a number of actions to support car manufacturers across Wales, and, indeed, working very closely with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and other UK Government departments at Westminster to look at opportunities. I think it's worth recognising that whilst this is an incredibly challenging time for the automotive sector in Wales, in the last five years we've been able to help businesses in Wales invest more than £200 million in support of more than 12,000 jobs, as the sector has responded promptly to the renaissance of the UK car sector. However, of course, Brexit poses a major threat to the great strides that have been made in recent years, and that’s why we have called upon the UK Government to broker a deal that will ensure the continued full and unfettered access to the single market.