4. Statement by the Counsel General and Brexit Minister: Update on Regional Investment in Wales

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:22 pm on 14 January 2020.

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Photo of Jeremy Miles Jeremy Miles Labour 4:22, 14 January 2020

(Translated)

Thank you to Rhun ap Iorwerth for those questions. I would like to be in a position to share more details with him about what the UK Government has in mind in terms of this fund. We have asked for input into any reference to Wales in the proposed consultation, but we haven't received that confirmation from them as of yet. As I mentioned earlier to Darren Millar, we do need far more detail in terms of securing that devolved border.

In terms of measuring success within this new funding system that we've been discussing with our stakeholders and the work that Huw Irranca-Davies's committee has been doing, they do have a sub-committee of that group that has been looking at this question of how to evaluate success and performance within the new system, drawing on best practice in doing so.

In terms of that regional question that Rhun ap Iorwerth mentioned, that is hugely important. The vision in terms of principle for us is that there are some things that are better done at a national Welsh level but that there are others that would work best regionally, and then another element that would work best at a very local level, and that reflects, to a certain extent, the current plans. But we see that there are opportunities within that to be flexible and to ensure that appropriate decisions are taken at a sub-national Welsh level when that is appropriate, and that would include providing some of that funding at the regional level, rather than everything being at the national level.