Will the Minister make a statement on the recent announcement by Ford on the Bridgend Engine Plant? (EAQ0007)

Yes. Can I thank the Member for his emergency question? This is obviously very distressing and devastating for those who will be affected by the announcement. It could be the largest loss of jobs in a generation, and the single biggest loss of jobs since devolution. I have begun the process of establishing a taskforce to work with partners over the weeks and months ahead to help find a sustainable, long-term solution for the plant and for its workforce. 

I thank the Minister for that answer. I watched that plant being built. I watched the trains coming into the plant from the chemistry lab of Brynteg Comprehensive School it was so close. And now, it seems, there is a strong possibility that I will see the plant close. Minister, the economy of Bridgend has done well over the past few years, but this is a blow to the solar plexus of the town. There was no warning, either to the workers or to Welsh Government, and for 40 years the workers at Ford did what was asked of them and this was the way in which they were repaid. Minister, it seems that the decision was taken relatively recently, possibly a week or so before the decision was announced. I hear that there were still interviews taking place in the plant the week before the decision, and, indeed, contracts were still being let some weeks before the announcement. Minister, I'm concerned about what changed in the meantime, and the only thing I can think of is the ramping up of talk of a 'no deal' Brexit. That is something that I know was a factor that they mentioned to you in private conversation, and I know it's something they then denied in the afternoon. But the reality is that concern not about Brexit but about no deal is something, I believe, that weighed very heavily on their minds.

Minister, the workers are worried. They're worried about their future. They're worried about their pensions, which is something I asked the Welsh Government to look at particularly. But, above all, of course, they look now to the Welsh Government for leadership and for advice as to the future. I certainly won't give up fighting for those workers and working with the trades unions, but we have to be prepared for all eventualities. So, my question, Minister, is this: will you assure Ford workers that all that can be done is being done, and will you assure me and those workers that they will receive assistance from the Welsh Government and that the Welsh Government will look to provide a future for them and for the town?

Can I thank Carwyn Jones for his questions? I agree with everything that he's said about the way that Ford have treated the workforce. Of course, this facility has been at the very heart of the south Wales economy since the late 1970s, built in 1978 with taxpayers' support to house what was then called 'project Erika', the components that would feed into that particular vehicle. A hundred and forty three million pounds has been spent assisting Ford over the years, more than £60 million since 2006 alone. It is, as Carwyn Jones rightly said, a massive blow to the entire community. And in response to it, we will be going further than we would normally go with a taskforce approach, and I'll come to that in a moment. 

I expressed forcefully my view that Ford had badly let down the workforce and the people of the entire region and country in making the decision in the way that it made it, without due regard to the well-being and welfare of not just 1,700-plus people working at the site, but the entire community, and without engaging with the UK or Welsh Governments on alternatives, as they had been doing until very recently.

Carwyn Jones raised the important question of Brexit in this regard. I can assure him that I raised this question with Ford, and I was told that whilst it was not the dominant factor in their deliberations, it was nonetheless extremely unhelpful and had increased their vulnerability. And they spoke in particular about the issue of frictionless trade at borders and how that could be ended with, in particular, a 'no deal' Brexit. And we only need to reflect back as well on their consistent message, from October last year, when they said that a 'no deal' Brexit would be devastating. Now, I'm pleased to see that the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, who has been of great assistance since Thursday, has this morning confirmed in questions that companies in the sector have been crystal clear—that we need to leave the European Union with a deal that allows us to continue to trade without frictions. And he goes on to say about the opportunities that could be had if that can be secured.

Carwyn Jones also raises the important question about pensions. I had a conference call yesterday with trade unions, with the local authority, with the Secretary of State for BEIS, the Secretary of State for Wales, and we agreed that there would have to be immediate assistance in the form of financial advisers for the workforce. And I also asked that the regulator get involved in this matter as soon as possible. We wish to keep the sharks from Bridgend, and therefore immediate assistance is required.

I can assure the Member that we will do everything in our power to support those who will be affected by this decision. Our approach, as I said earlier, will be threefold. We will focus on the people who will be affected, as we always do, with a taskforce intervention, looking at opportunities, looking at their skills needs. But we will also put a particular focus on the potential of the site, examining every option to attract investment in. And we will work with BEIS, with the Department for International Trade and with the Wales Office in order to secure alternative employment.

However, there will be a third strand to our work, which will include place. My recollections of growing up in Flintshire during the 1980s and during the 1990s have informed this decision. For the first few years after 8,500 people lost their jobs at Shotton steelworks, there was money in circulation—there were many new cars, many retail outlets did very well. But, from the mid 1980s, through the 1990s, and even to this day, challenges emerged that have scarred that entire community. And we will not allow Bridgend to go through what, sadly, Deeside went through in the 1980s and 1990s. And that is why I have determined that we have to have a particular piece of work, looking at how we can stimulate the economy of Bridgend between now and September of 2020, how we can stabilise businesses that rely so heavily on Ford, how we can support the supply chain not just within the automotive sector, but those many small, medium, and micro-sized businesses that rely on the money that Ford puts into the community, and how we can make the entire community investment ready. There is no doubt that this will have dealt a terrible blow in terms of the community's pride and dignity, but we will work side by side with the local authority, with Cardiff city deal, with BEIS, the Wales Office, with other partners, in ensuring that Bridgend has alternative employment, employment of the highest quality, that is well paid.

On behalf of Plaid Cymru, I'd like to offer my fullest sympathies with the workers. But I'd also like to say that I'm pretty angry on their behalf that many of the workers found out via social media that the plant was closing, as opposed to finding out initially from Ford. Now, what does that tell us about the family of Ford mantra? It's also hugely ironic, in the week that Donald Trump comes to the UK, that an American company is proposing to move a plant from Bridgend to Mexico of all places. Now, this will have a big impact on the local area, as has been exemplified already, and I think that's something we should all think about in this particular debate. And if the workers do decide on Friday to strike, then be assured that Plaid Cymru will be on the picket line with them on that strike.

The workers deserve better than this. Many of those I've talked to over the last few weeks, months, years, are very loyal to Ford—in fact, more loyal than in other areas of Ford operations across the world, and I think that should be recognised. But I'd like to ask, further to the comments already made, what exactly you will be doing in terms of the package of support offered by the Welsh Government. Also, what conversations are you having with the UK Government in relation to those packages? We know, sadly, when Ford has closed other plants in the UK, that they have offered packages of support for those particular workers. What will you be able to offer, and how will you be offering that?

Brexit has played a part. There's no escaping this, but there are other avenues that we need to assess when we look at what Ford has been doing. They've closed plants in Belgium, they've closed plants elsewhere, and we need to look at the automotive economy in the round and how they are operating in that regard.

As a country going forward, to look positively, we need to develop our own infrastructures so that we can become a no-brainer place for business, so we can develop our own indigenous economies as well. I'd like to know what your response would be to an idea that we've already proposed—to have an economic summit where everybody is involved. I know that you've announced a taskforce, but I want to have a national conversation with people who are not only directly employed by Ford, but those in the other businesses that feed Ford, the people who are in our communities benefiting from the fact that Ford exists here in Wales. What are you doing to involve everybody?

Now, I think we all have to still have hope, and we have to maintain that hope that we can keep the plant open, and that's why I'm eager to work with people across the political divide, and I know that my colleague Dr Dai Lloyd, and others, will be wanting to support the workforce. We know that many people were offered voluntary redundancies a few months ago who are now wondering what the offer is for them. The workers want clarity, and I hope that we can provide that for them and provide them with the support that they deserve for being such loyal workers. 

Can I thank Bethan for her questions and say how much I share her anger and the anger of workers? And I won't apologise for the veracity of my immediate response last week on hearing of this news. Workers do feel betrayed, do feel incredibly badly let down and, yes, the irony of the timing of the announcement was certainly not lost on many people.

I think it's fair to say that Ford need to recognise the loyalty and the commitment of the workforce and the community with a very substantial legacy investment, not just in the workers but in the community as well. And in order to encourage them to consider a substantial legacy investment, I and the Secretaries of State in UK Government will jointly be writing to Ford, urging them to invest a considerable sum of money in the community and in those who will be affected. That will form part of a package of investments. There is, of course, a role for Welsh Government. Of that there is no doubt, and we are already looking at how we can support not just the individuals and the businesses in the supply chain, and the many businesses on the high street that could suffer as a consequence, but also how we can assist the place itself—Bridgend—making sure that if there are investment-ready schemes that would contribute to economic growth and to stimulate economic growth between now and September 2020, then we will invest when and wherever we can. 

But there is also a role for the local authority, of course, in identifying similar schemes and supporting those schemes alongside us, and, crucially, a role for the UK Government, in particular through the UK industrial strategy. Yesterday and, indeed, on Friday, I discussed with the Secretary of State for BEIS the opportunities that could come through in particular the Faraday challenge and the sector deals, and the Secretary of State for BEIS is working incredibly close with us. His officials are in if not hourly then certainly daily contact with our officials in the Welsh Government to identify opportunities for investment. 

Bethan raised the important point of diversifying the economy of Wales, and we now have a record number of businesses. I was telling journalists just this morning that in any given week the Welsh economy loses around about 2,000 jobs, but, during that same period of time, the Welsh economy creates just over 2,000 jobs, and that's why we have such low levels of unemployment and low levels of economic inactivity. Diversification of employment, the economy, is taking place, but the economic action plan was specifically designed to empower and to enable business in Wales to adapt to the new realities of automation, to address the challenges of industry 4.0 and to address the need to reduce carbon emissions. And that is why, within the economic contract, one of the four criteria concerns decarbonisation and that's why one of the five calls to action concerns decarbonisation as well. We are already supporting many, many businesses in their endeavours to become more modern in the way that they operate, and we will go on doing so. We've already seen more than 200 businesses sign up to the economic contract. We are encouraging and enabling businesses to modernise their practices, there is a hunger and a desire out there in the business community to adapt to the new reality, and we will go on working with them. And in particular, we will work with them in the Bridgend area, where they can, and I am confident they will, create new employment opportunities. 

Thank you for the question today, Carwyn Jones, and your response, Minister. Can I just begin by saying, though, that I think if we overplay the Brexit hand in any conversations of this nature, we're going to reach a point where we're blaming everything on Brexit and not really being able to evaluate the effect of Brexit? So, while I'm prepared to accept that there may be an element of this, I'm glad that Bethan Sayed made the point that this is not the main reason for the move today. The fact is it's £600 cheaper to produce this engine in Mexico than it is in Bridgend, and there should be questions here—and perhaps you could deal with this, Minister—about why the conversations between the Welsh Government and the UK Government—I ask the question of both—didn't foresee this happening a little bit sooner. Because one of the things that has definitely emerged from the sorry tale that we've heard over the last few weeks is that Ford were very much behind the curve on identifying the tastes that were changing within the European market and over-focusing, perhaps, on very different tastes within the American market. Why wasn't that presented as a form of challenge to Ford much earlier in the process, bearing in mind that we've heard from you and we've heard from BEIS as well that conversations have been happening with Ford for many a year?

I wonder if you could also tell us a little bit more about the money that Welsh Government has given Ford over the years. I accept what you say, that you won't be allowing them to draw down any more, and I think you mentioned that about £11 million is available to be clawed back—although the Deputy Minister today, in the cross-party group, mentioned that the ability to claim back any money would be just modest. So, I wonder if you can tell us a little bit about how much money may be written off in the course of this for Welsh Government, but, for any money that you do manage to recover or not give to Ford in the first place, how that money will be used. Will it all be dedicated to the work of the taskforce, or will you be looking to spend it in other ways? Because one of the things we haven't heard anything about at the moment is that Bridgend is within the Cardiff capital region footprint, but it's pretty close to the Swansea bay city deal footprint as well, and I would be looking to both those boards to see whether they can be of assistance, to see whether, actually, the skills of this workforce can be used within the project plans for both those boards. And in particular, as you know, Cardiff is still in the running for being a Heathrow hub; I would have thought that the ability to present the talents within this workforce as a plus for that Heathrow hub might be something that might just nudge it on its way towards Cardiff. 

And then, finally, it was just this question of communication, I think. We heard from you back in February that Ford was hoping to hear in about a month's time about the new engine for the Grenadier 4x4; I had to find out from the pages of Auto Trader that that job had gone to BMW. I think it might have been useful if this Chamber had been told that, as we're all clearly very, very interested in that. I'm not going to steal all the questions today, but there is still a question to be answered about where INEOS will fit into our picture looking forward on this and whether you're speaking to other companies about how to resolve Ford's failure to notice that green transport is the way forward. Because we are looking at that—not just electric cars, but we're talking about hydrogen cars and also new forms of public transport, the new vehicles we're going to need in twenty-first century green public transport. Have we left that a bit late to involve this particular workforce, this expertise, which Ford itself recognises as superlative? Have we lost the opportunity to capture them for the new-look public transport in particular that Wales so desperately needs? Thank you. 

I thank Suzy Davies for her contribution and her questions. I must say, it's simply not possible to ignore the impact that Brexit is having on the economy of Wales and will continue to have on the economy, and the dire consequences of a 'no deal' Brexit that Ford and many others have repeatedly issued. There are two challenges facing the automotive sector in the UK; one is Brexit, the other is the decline in the internal combustion engine. In terms of the internal combustion engine, some manufacturers had not seen the pace at which it would decline coming, and I think Ford is one of them. That's why they are perhaps behind the curve.

In terms of the question that the Member asked about why we didn't see it coming before now, well, we'd set up a taskforce that was meeting very regularly until recently that was looking at opportunities for the site, working with Ford and with the unions. And we were looking at the opportunities that could stem from Ford's electrification programme that was announced in April, and the potential for hybridised engines to be manufactured at the Bridgend plant. At no point did Ford indicate that the future of the plant was in question; indeed, we were working with the company and with others, with BEIS, on opportunities to invest in the Bridgend plant. And I would agree with Carwyn Jones that this decision appears to have been made very recently, and is something of a reaction to recent events that the Member for Bridgend outlined. Therefore, I really do strongly feel that Brexit should not be ignored as a contributing factor.

In terms of the conditions that have been attached to the support that we have given Ford over the years, as I've already identified, £143 million of taxpayers' money has been invested in the site, and I believe that we were right to invest in the plant, not least because in the space of just the last 10 years, it's contributed £3.3 billion to the local economy, keeping many, many small, micro and medium-sized businesses alive. The conditions applied to the support that we have put on the table for Ford still do exist today, but much of the conditionality by September of next year will have expired. That is why we are saying to Ford that there should be a very substantial legacy investment back to the people who have contributed to the company's existence in Bridgend. I would very much welcome any involvement that the Swansea bay city deal partners could contribute to the endeavour to get people into high-paid, decent jobs.

With regard to the other opportunities that could come to Bridgend, I won't be giving an ongoing update on all of the commercially sensitive discussions that are taking place with potential investors—the Member has identified one—but I can assure Members of this Chamber that there are many interested parties looking at the Bridgend facility. It is an enormous facility; it's very much a factory within a factory at the moment, producing the Dragon engine in one part but with available space for other businesses. And it may well be that the site could be used for multiple businesses. The priority, I believe, should be given to manufacturing, because the 1,700 people who currently work there would be ideally suited to such employment. But we would not rule out alternative and additional uses for what is an exceptional asset. 

Could I just begin by thanking both the Minister and also the First Minister for their very direct and immediate and energetic engagement in this with the workers, meeting the unions in the plant last week, along with Carwyn my colleague, local MPs and others, and being right in the front seat on this? And could I echo everything that my colleague Carwyn Jones said on behalf of not the hundreds but the thousands of people directly employed in Ford, but also the supply chain, not just in Ogmore and Bridgend but right across the region, and their families, and the shops, and the cafes that depend on that circular economy where they spend their money?

This is devastating. The workers did not deserve this. They didn't deserve it in the way it was announced. They've bent over backwards over the last couple of decades to do every single thing that Ford has asked of them—everything: to increase productivity; to change the way they produce on those lines; to bring new production lines in. They did not deserve this. Ford owe these workers and they owe these communities. So, I welcome what you were saying, Minister, about legacy, should it come to that, but could I urge him, please, first of all, to do exactly what the First Minister said, which is to go back to Ford and challenge this decision? I think they've made the wrong decision. I think this is a productive, highly skilled, highly effective workforce here and they deserve the opportunity to challenge this in the period of consultation.

But my question to the Minister is this: if the decision is a fait accompli and Ford are going to walk away, then they should indeed leave a legacy, but I would ask two things. First of all, in welcoming the taskforce and the approach towards a place-based approach, could I ask the Minister to ensure that we do identify those areas where we can now fast-track investment into not only Bridgend itself and into the immediate vicinity, but also into the greater Bridgend area? Because the impact will be in that greater area of that old Mid Glamorgan area. And in so doing, it would be helpful—and I'm sure he'll want to—to engage with the local authority of Bridgend itself and the council leader there and his cabinet. Because they have—and I know they've been in discussion—ideas already of what can stimulate the economy, what can give confidence to the business community that it's not going to be the Flintshire of decades ago. This will be something that we intervene in and we take steps and we make sure that this is a prosperous economy and there is a future for these people. So, I would ask those two things: scale of investment, rapidity of investment from UK Government and Welsh Government, and work with the local authority, please, Minister.

Can I thank Huw Irranca-Davies for his comments and for his questions and say that we took leadership immediately? We gripped the steering wheel of this challenge immediately because we have great experience in successfully intervening through our tried-and-tested taskforce approach, as we did in Cardiff when Tesco made its announcement of closure, when Virgin in Swansea made its announcement. We intervened immediately, we provided the necessary support to those who were affected to ensure that they found alternative employment as soon as possible and avoided long periods of unemployment.

Of course I will be challenging the decision by Ford, yes. The volume of engines that had been predicted for Bridgend was not realised. However, there are predictions that Dragon engine volumes will increase in the years to come. If they don't change their minds, then those increased volumes will be realised in Mexico rather than Bridgend and we are simply not going to accept that. We will object to the closure. However, we must plan for every eventuality, and the place-based approach, which is a new dimension in the work that we do, will focus on making sure that the community is prepared for life after Ford.

I've already been in regular contact with the leader of the local authority, who has kindly provided Welsh Government with a series of potential investment opportunities. It could do exactly as Huw Irranca-Davies has said. And they are not just opportunities confined to Bridgend town centre, to the immediate area that Ford currently supports. These are interventions that span out across the entire patch from which Ford takes workers and supports local small businesses. We will appraise all of those options. We will look at additional options as well, and we will, through the new regional team, be supporting the local authority in responding to this challenge.

Minister, while I thank you for your earlier written statement, I was surprised that there was not an oral statement on Ford's decision to close the engine plant at Bridgend. Not only is this devastating news for the workforce and Bridgend, it is also a devastating blow for South Wales West. While I hope that Ford will see the error of their ways, I'm not sure they will, given the global economy and moves to prioritise American jobs. Minister, you have indicated the establishment of a taskforce, which is most welcome. Will the taskforce be looking for other buyers for the plant, and have you discussed this possibility with Ford? How will the moneys recuperated be used—£11 million, as I understand? Ford have stated that Brexit has not played a part in this decision and a 'no deal' Brexit has been spoken about for the last three years and therefore is hardly a new concept. So, I think we must look at other possibilities as to why this decision has been made. My thoughts are with all workers and families affected by this decision.

There's a line in Jaws where the mayor is told by Chief Brody that he's going to ignore this problem until it comes up and bites him on the derrière, and that, I'm afraid, is what the Brexiteers of Wales are going to do: keep ignoring the problems that a 'no deal' Brexit will cause for the people of this country and our economy until it comes up and takes their jobs from them. That's when they'll start bleating about the problems that Brexit is causing. And I'm afraid we will not stand by and allow the economy of our country to be ruined by people who do not care about employment in Wales; who do not care about jobs in Wales; and who would rather align themselves with President Trump, who promises a great deal for the UK, but whose companies are, as the Member herself said, prioritising American jobs over our jobs.

Brexit is a very real issue for our country. I've identified previously investment opportunities that have been lost or suspended as a consequence of a 'no deal' Brexit becoming more apparent and real. And that, I am afraid, is only going to intensify in the coming months. We will do our utmost to provide people with valuable work in this country, but I do hope that those who are ignoring the threat of a 'no deal' Brexit will come to their senses and appreciate that a deal must be secured or we must put the question back to the people.

Can I ask, Minister, how proactive has the Welsh Government been in ensuring that its investment was widely spent by Ford on alternative opportunities for the plant, including, of course, investment opportunities for bringing the production of electric engines to Bridgend? You've outlined the large amount of capital support that's been provided to Ford, but can I ask you what kind of evaluation the Welsh Government has undertaken of the funding spent, in the same way that it has done for Tata? And others have asked you this question and you've answered to a point, but not entirely clearly, so perhaps you could expand on this: how much money does the Welsh Government think it can get back from Ford and when will it know more detail about how much can be reclaimed?

Can I thank the Member for his question? We're currently working on the precise figures about the conditionality attached to the support that we've offered, and calculating how many of the jobs are still going to be in condition come September 2020. Actually, it was remiss of me not to answer one specific point that was made by Suzy Davies about the transition towards hybridised and electric vehicles. I think it's worth reflecting on the fact that Wales alone has a leader in new hydrogen technology-based automotive powertrains, Riversimple in mid Wales, which has been able to develop its product and technology as a consequence of the support that this Welsh Government has given them. And we're very proud as well to have one of the most ambitious proposals for a zero-emissions bus and taxi fleet in the UK, with a zero-emissions fleet by 2028, and I'm pleased that the Development Bank of Wales are currently working on the support that may be required in order to achieve that target.

In addition, as Members will already know, the south Wales metro—a hugely ambitious scheme—will see electrification powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, with half of that coming from Wales. However, there are some manufacturers of vehicles, of cars in particular, that do not see the pace of change that is taking place right now, and are being left behind the curve. We can do all we can to incentivise, to enable and to empower those businesses to change, but ultimately, it is for those decision makers within those businesses to accept the inevitable and to embrace the change and the support that we're able to offer. And I do wonder to what extent the fact that Ford is an American company that perhaps does not recognise the climate change emergency—I do wonder whether they are really, really committed to the transition to a green economy and to zero-emissions vehicles.

Of course, I've already outlined, in terms of evaluation, the contribution that Ford has made to the local economy over the years. For an investment of just over £60 million from the Welsh Government, we've seen £3.3 billion returned to the economy of Bridgend and the wider region. We believe that that is a very significant and welcome return on investment, amounting to more than £300 million on average every year for the last 10 years, compared to the £60-or-so million that we've invested into the company. We've also been able to, through our investments, make sure that those workers are well skilled and well trained and able to deploy their skills in alternative employment, and I am confident that, through the work of the taskforce, we'll be able to ensure that those wishing to stay in employment will have opportunities to deploy their excellent skills in similar jobs.

I'd like to squeeze two further questions in, so if they could be as succinct as is possible, and I'm looking at the two of you. David Rees.

Diolch, Llywydd, and I will be as succinct as possible, therefore, I'll avoid repetition of many comments already made. But, clearly, I will associate myself with the comments from the Member for Ogmore and the Member for Bridgend on this matter, and, Minister, thank you for the answers.

Just a couple of quick points in that case, because, clearly, many of my constituents work in Ford. Indeed, I know friends and the family of friends who work there. But when the issue happened in Port Talbot, a taskforce was established. One of the streams it set up was a health and well-being stream, vital to ensure that those who are affected by this decision of Ford's are able to get that type of support. Will you, therefore, ensure the taskforce also sets up a similar stream in this situation to ensure that people are supported?

In relation to the comment made on pensions by the Member for Bridgend, and you highlight that you don't want the sharks coming in, well, we saw the sharks coming into Port Talbot. Will you have a discussion with the Financial Conducty Authority to ensure that they do not descend on Bridgend as well? In fact, the FCA are holding a session in Port Talbot this Friday particularly in relation to that, and it might be worth having a discussion with them on that point.

In relation to any redundancy settlements that are being made, we've been told by the unions that, basically, they believe these are partly a bribe to the workforce to accept those deals and to accept the decision of Ford, and we'll see the outcome of that on Friday at a public meeting held by the unions. Will you also look with the Treasury as to what the implications are from a Treasury point of view on those payments, because many people may see large figures, but they may not understand what the consequences of those figures are and how much they may end up having to pay to the Treasury, back into the UK Government?

Finally, on the supply chain matters, you've talked of the supply chain already, will you look very carefully at the supply chain? We've seen Ford's announcement, we've seen the one in Newport and we've seen Calsonic's announcements—there is an impact upon supply chains as well. Will you work with supply chains to look at how they can actually address the future? We've talked about engines and hybrid engines, but supply chains need also support to change their designs and working for those engines and manufacturing. Will you work with supply chains to ensure that they can actually meet the engines of the future as well?

Can I thank David Rees for his questions and the important points that he makes about the mental health and well-being of those who are going to be affected by this decision, not just the workers, but their families, and people employed in different businesses that rely on the contribution that Ford makes to the local economy? I can assure the Member that the health board will be part of the taskforce, and, provided Ford give access to the taskforce, we'll be providing immediate support to those who are affected. I said to Ford on the phone on Thursday that I simply will not wait 12 months for the consultation to end before the taskforce can get into the business and support people. I want immediate access for those people and immediate support in terms of their well-being, because we know that announcements such as this do often lead to family breakdowns, to increases in mental illness and despair, and we must do all we can to avoid that.

I've already answered the question on the FCA's involvement in the questions raised by Carwyn Jones.

David Rees raises the important question of the taxes that could be paid to the UK Treasury. It's not for me to disclose the level of payments to workers or to speculate over the sum of taxes that will be sent to the UK Treasury, but we are already looking at this very issue, and it may well be that UK Government's contribution could come in the form of some form of return of those taxes to the workers and/or the community.

The Member is also right to raise the significance of this challenge for the supply chain. We're working very closely, not just with BEIS, but also with the Wales Automotive Forum, in identifying those businesses within the automotive supply chain that will be affected by the announcement. Work has already commenced on that. The Wales Automotive Forum have written out to businesses within the supply chain, not just those directly relating to Ford's activities, but the general automotive sector, to identify any businesses that might require support from Welsh Government, from the UK Government, and the local authority.

Finally, Andrew R.T. Davies.

Thank you, Presiding Officer. Minister, thank you for your answers this afternoon. I don't make this as a political point—I make it as a point in general—that the biggest loss of work in the devolution era was the Llanwern steelworks that was shut in the early 2000s, and I draw that to your attention on the basis that, obviously, the remedial action that was put in by the Welsh Government could, in this particular instance, be a good example for the Bridgend plant, because you have cited, obviously, the example of Welsh Government action when it came to the Tesco withdrawal out of Cardiff and Virgin out of Swansea, but there were already large businesses able to take on a lot of those employees in those businesses. Here, you have predominantly an engineering facility that has 1,700 jobs now at risk, after the end of the consultation period, and whilst we know Aston Martin are actively recruiting for at least 500 to 600 jobs, there are a lot of people looking for work, and I would draw your attention to the taskforce that the Welsh Government put in place when Llanwern shut to be a comparator over the Ford engine plant.

I would also say, as well, about the Brocastle development that the Welsh Government has just commissioned next door to the Bridgend engine plant, where the diggers have literally just gone in to do the infrastructure work there. Will there be any remodelling over that business park? Because the critical component here is that the jobs that have been lost pay on average £45,000 to £50,000. Those jobs do not come easily, and I'm sure that when you were modelling that business park and some of the plans you had, you didn't foresee the complete closure of the engine plant. So, can you confirm whether it's business as usual with that business park that's being developed alongside the engine plant, or will there be a reappraisal of the plans that were originally laid?

I thank Andrew R.T. Davies for his questions. He raises a very important point about Brocastle. That is a strategic employment site—a major site that is being developed. It's adjacent to the Ford engine plant, for those who are unfamiliar with its location. It is owned by the Welsh Government and I'm pleased to say that work has commenced on a £10 million investment in site infrastructure. This particular site is ideally suited for a prestigious company headquarters or a quality supplier park, and we are working on a number of leads. If any changes to the proposals are required in order to accommodate employers offering highly paid, high-quality work, then of course we will tweak or amend the proposed park layout, infrastructure, whatever is required.

Of course, Llanwern was a major concern of ours, and we intervened in the manner that the Member has identified. The reason that we believe that this could be the single biggest loss of jobs since devolution is because of the multiplier effect, which could be three to one. We could be looking at something in the region of 5,000 to 6,000 jobs affected—not necessarily lost, but affected—by the decision that Ford has taken, and that would place it on another level to anything else that has happened since 1999 and demonstrates, again, the need for us to go beyond the normal taskforce approach and why the place-based element is just so very important in the work that we're going to be undertaking.

Andrew R.T. Davies was right to identify Aston Martin Lagonda as a major employer offering high-quality work, well-paid work, and an employer that is currently recruiting. We do believe that something in the region of 500 jobs could be offered for Ford workers there. Aston Martin Lagonda, of course, have made south Wales their global home for the development of electric cars, showing confidence in Wales's ability to transition to a low-carbon economy. The company is incredibly ambitious with plans for new vehicles, and I'm hopeful that it will go on expanding. Certainly the Welsh Government stands ready to assist Aston Martin, unashamedly, in expanding in future years, to ensure that more people have decent jobs that provide a good livelihood for their families. 

But there are other potential investors that we are working with. We are determined, alongside DIT and BEIS, to land as many opportunities as we possibly can. I've been in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Wales concerning a number of those potential investments, and I am hopeful that we will be able to announce good news in the weeks and months to come. 

Thank you, Minister.