City Deals in South Wales West

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:45 pm on 24 September 2019.

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Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 2:45, 24 September 2019

I just want to agree with what Suzy Davies has said. Both the UK Government and the Welsh Government are very anxious to be able to put in the hands of the city deal itself the funding that we have agreed should be made available to us. The rapid independent review that was commissioned in January was a joint review commissioned by both Governments. We are obliged, I think, to abide by its conclusions and to make sure that the city deal has everything it needs in place, including that programme director, so that there can be confidence by both Governments that the money we release will be effectively used for the purposes for which we will provide it. Our officials are working hard alongside officials of the city deal to try and make sure that all those pieces of the jigsaw are there. When I was finance Minister, I wanted this money out of our budget and in the hands of the city deal because it caused some technical issues in the way that we treated that money in our accounts. I’m still very anxious that we do what we can to accelerate the money that has now been agreed for those two projects, but then to accelerate other projects that can come round the same track, and further money, which is agreed, waiting, ready to be released, can be put to good use right across that south-west Wales region.