Questions now from the party spokespeople. The Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Delyth Jewell.

Minister, the draft international strategy that you published over the summer includes three aims. The third of these is to highlight Wales as a nation that is responsible at a global level. Can you explain how that is in keeping with the Welsh Government’s presence in the Defence and Security Equipment International arms fair last week?

It is important that we ensure that our principles and our values are seen throughout the world. I do think it’s important that, together with that strategy, it also states clearly that cyber security is one of the main issues where people understand that Wales has expertise in this field. It’s important for us to highlight that. And it is difficult—. Because there is a close relationship, and we have to acknowledge that, between what occurs in the field of defence and what happens in commercial cyber security. So, it’s very difficult to separate the two things. There is a relationship, but I think it’s important we do not detract from pushing cyber security when we have the opportunity to do so.

Minister, I don’t think that response is sufficient. Time and time again, we’ve received pledges from your Government stating that you want to be responsible, ethical, progressive, and time and again, you undermine this by behaving in unethical, irresponsible and non-progressive ways. So, one area that is highlighted in the strategy is to use the Welsh language to promote the unique heritage and culture of our nation. The strategy of the Basque Country, for example, includes a role for the Etxepare Basque Institute in order to promote the Basque language, and to increase the profile of the language and its culture across the world. For example, they went this year to the Edinburgh fringe festival. The only mention of the Welsh language in your international strategy is a few references to the fact that the Welsh language exists. Do you agree that you need to reconsider this, and consider the role of the Welsh language within your international strategy? Will you commit today, as a first step to put right the error, that you will overturn your disgraceful decision to refuse to provide Welsh language lessons free of charge to refugees in Wales—a decision that is entirely contrary to the commitment in your nation of sanctuary scheme to ensure that asylum seekers are included in the opportunity to learn Welsh?

I do believe that we do much more than that as regards promoting the Welsh language. We’ve already been in the United Nations, giving a lead in the field of minority languages. And we’re going to hold a special conference in Aberystwyth in November to celebrate the UNESCO international festival on minority languages.

There is an event in the Senedd this evening, where we will be bringing people in from Catalonia and, of course, the Welsh language is part of that. I’ve already commissioned a video so that we can show to ambassadors from all of the world that we wish to take a lead in this field. And so I do think that the Welsh language is an essential, vital part of that strategy.

Just on the matter of refugees, I do think that it’s worth underscoring the fact that we are channelling the method of teaching Welsh to non-first-language Welsh speakers through the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, and there are two pilot schemes already up and running, one in Cardiff and one in Swansea, where Welsh lessons are given free of charge to refugees. 

Well, I’m afraid that’s an inadequate response. It’s good to hear about the good work that is happening on the Welsh language within Government, but that should be in the strategy. In terms of asylum seekers and refugees, you should consider that as a matter of urgency.

I’d like to turn now to the other weaknesses of the international strategy. It’s a strange mix of overgeneralisation and being overly detailed, simultaneously. You focus on the three industries to promote internationally: as you’ve already mentioned, cyber security, the composite semiconductors and creative industries. Now, I don’t doubt that these are important sectors for the economy, but should we place semiconductors at the heart of our strategy? Wouldn’t it make more sense to promote an industry that corresponds with international responsibilities, such as renewable energy? So, why haven’t you set an ambitious pathway, based on making Wales a carbon-zero nation by 2040 or sooner?

Where are the plans to make the most of the Welsh diaspora and promoting the contribution of the diaspora from other nations living in Wales? Where is the strategic plan for making the most of Wales's overseas offices? Now, talking about publishing a remit in future when these have already been in place for many years simply isn’t good enough. Where’s the vision for promoting the excellent research done by our HE sector and the commitment to ensure that this can continue? Where are the targets that are so necessary in order to measure the success of the strategy? How can you justify the fact that there are only two meetings per annum that you intend to stage an order to measure progress, and where is the great vision for the future of our nation on the international stage?

I would suggest that you start afresh, building a unique and ambitious strategy, a strategy that could only be made in Wales, promoting a welcoming, green Welsh nation that is ready to succeed and to take its proper place on the global stage, rather than this document, which reads, at times, as a PR exercise, I’m afraid.

Well, I do not accept that. I do think that the values that we have in Wales shine through clearly in the strategy. What we must acknowledge is that it’s difficult for us to write a strategy at the moment, because how can you do that when Brexit is hanging over us? One of the things that I was eager to do was to draw attention to our strengths. Lots of places throughout the world do different things, but where we can give a clear lead as an innovative nation and change the mindset that many people have about Wales? Or, possibly, they don’t have any idea about Wales at all. That was the idea of selecting some sectors. Of course, things will emanate from this strategy, so there will be something on the diaspora. We had a meeting this morning on that.

As regards the targets, I was very eager to include targets, and I’m sure that you would agree that it’s really difficult to put targets in when we’re in such a different situation. Just to give you an example—you mentioned higher education. Well, of course, the fact that the Prime Minister said last week, ‘Right, people can stay for two years after they graduate’, that will then attract more students. So, things are moving so quickly at the moment, it’s difficult first set targets. So, I am very eager to ensure that that does become part of the strategy, once things are settled in this fast-changing world.

Conservative spokesperson, David Melding.

Minister, it's now six years since the Government rolled out its tourism strategy for Wales, the partnership for growth, and the strategy remit will end next year. The main ambition was to increase tourism earnings by then by at least 10 per cent. I notice that Scotland, who have a strategy running for exactly the same time, are now doing a lot of review work and consultation, and I just wonder what is the Welsh Government doing at the moment to review the operation of the partnership for growth, particularly that 10 per cent target, and what sort of work is being done to develop and prepare a new strategy.

Thank you very much for that very helpful prompt. I can now give you a trail for an oral statement, which I hope to make during the month of October to this Chamber, on our tourism strategy. My ambition has been to produce priorities for each of the main areas of my responsibilities as a Deputy Minister. I have tried to indicate priorities already in the area of heritage, and tourism, I'm pleased to tell you, is the next one. So, there will be a publication similar to the priorities that we produced for heritage on tourism, and I will welcome a response from Members and from the sector. You may recollect that we did, in fact, hold a tourism summit in Llandrindod last year, and the response from that meeting in the sector was very positive, and we may well decide to hold a similar event next year. 

Well, I thank the Minister for his mostly helpful response, particularly that we all should take part in the work to review the strategy and to construct a new one, and particularly for the sector. You didn't say whether that 10 per cent target is going to be met. Obviously, there's still a year to go, but I think it's key that we're at least candid on whether we've achieved that, and if we haven't why and what we need to do about it. 

Now, clearly, we have two markets—the domestic market for the UK and then visitors from abroad. And I think it's fair to say that we do very well in the domestic market, but we don't really achieve what we think we should in terms of foreign, overseas visitors. So, I wonder if in the new strategy it will contain two sets of really ambitious growth markets for those markets, because they do require I think separate approaches, and perhaps we haven't quite grasped that in the current strategy. 

I agree with that analysis. Can I also say that we think that there is still a great opportunity on what is called staycation? Not one of my favourite words, although I did have a bit of a staycation this summer and enjoyed it very much, including a lot of time—some of it spent in Monmouthshire—but a lot of time on the Marches of Wales looking at how we can work more closely along that wonderful connecting link between north and south Wales on the eastern border called Offa's Dyke. And we are hoping in the future that we will emphasise that there is room again for more visitors to come, both from the conurbations and those who land in Manchester Airport and those who've come through Heathrow. But I do take the point that we need to emphasise international marketing. We have identified certain countries on mainland Europe, and we will pursue this strategy to make sure that those people are aware that our borders are still open between Wales and England, whatever may happen to the borders of the United Kingdom. 

Can I say I share his love for Offa's Dyke? I have completed the walk, though that was, I'm afraid, over 40 years ago now. This year, I walked in Gower, which was as beautiful. Minister, one way in which we can certainly harness international tourist appeal is to make Wales the sustainable capital of tourism in the UK and indeed in Europe. For example, more and more environmentally savvy tourists are seeking out green tourist destinations. A recent survey found that 64 per cent of respondents consider environmental issues when booking their trip, and 82 per cent were willing to pay more for green services and products. Global travel societies like National Geographic now use environmental sustainability as a key criterion in their destination rating. So, I really think if we want to take a step forward and be really, really competitive, this is an area where we could see a very great increase in our offer, and it fits in with our general strategies—the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, for instance. Do you agree with me that Wales is well placed to lead on this agenda and that that needs to now be a central part of our new strategy?

Thank you for helping us to write the strategy. We already have a draft and I'll make sure that sustainability is at the top, because clearly, green tourism and tourism that caters for the whole population and all age groups—. Those who have mobility difficulties are equally important as visitors to those who are able-bodied and able to enjoy recreation in the countryside. So, we need to make sure that what we provide is accessible wherever people want to go, if they are mobile and able to take advantage of the access opportunities. But we also need to make it clear that sustainable tourism means sustainable for all who wish to take advantage of the offer we have in Wales.

And therefore, in my recent visit to Pembrokeshire, which I referred to, I was particularly moved by the commitment of one developer to ensure that seriously disabled people were able to enjoy the facilities of tourism in Pembrokeshire. Both sustainability and accessibility of our tourist offer to all citizens who wish to come here or visit destinations here, and that includes the people within Wales itself and the people from across the bridge or across the dyke, whatever we want to call it, and wherever they come from and however they get to come to Wales, that they feel that, after the experience of being in Wales, they have been properly welcomed. And I would like to thank the leader of the opposition and, indeed, Angela Burns, who have been part of my visit in Pembrokeshire and east Carmarthenshire, wherever I was on the day; I don't even recognise borders within Wales, let alone between Wales and England. Thank you.