Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Economy and Transport – in the Senedd at 1:43 pm on 4 December 2019.

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Photo of Ken Skates Ken Skates Labour 1:43, 4 December 2019

Well, no, I'm not happy, and it's quite clear that Brexit continues to suppress growth, particularly here in Wales, where 60 per cent of our exports are reliant on the 500 million customers within the European Union. In order to drive up productivity, we, through the economic action plan, are focusing our grants, our loans—our business support in all forms—on those businesses of the future: those businesses that are going to be futureproofed in terms of artificial intelligence and digitalisation.

A great example of how we are using our resources strategically in this regard came last Thursday when we opened the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre in north Wales—a centre that will lead to the securing of the Wing of Tomorrow programme and which will inject £4 billion in gross value added to the regional economy. That's a perfect example of how we are using our resources to drive up productivity.

It's worth saying that, since devolution, Wales has had the fifth highest increase in GVA per head compared to the 12 UK countries and English regions. But there is no doubt whatsoever that the growth of the economy is being suppressed by the disaster that is Brexit.