Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Economy and Transport – in the Senedd at 1:52 pm on 22 January 2020.

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Photo of Ken Skates Ken Skates Labour 1:52, 22 January 2020

Yes. Can I first of all welcome Helen Mary Jones to the role? I believe you are the third Plaid Cymru spokesperson to take this particular role during my time as economy Minister, and I hope it's third time lucky, that you'll see it out in the next election, and that we have many opportunities to debate the economy and transport system in our country.

I would agree that in terms of employment figures, they often mask other challenges, and we still do have a challenge in terms of underemployment and in terms of presenteeism, and that's precisely why this Government is determined to press forward with the fair work agenda.

In terms of Aston Martin, Llywydd, this is an investment that the Welsh Government is very proud of, and I would really wish to see the Member welcome the investment that the Government has made in Aston Martin and the investment that the company is making in Wales, because it will contribute, over the next 30 years, £0.5 billion to the Welsh economy. It will lead to the employment of 1,000 people in south Wales, and many, many more opportunities in the supply chain.

Now, of course, there's been much speculation recently regarding the financial position of Aston Martin, not least because there was speculation that a major stake could be taken in the company. We are constantly assured that the Bro Tathan site is the future of Aston Martin, that it is its main concern right now and will be in the years to come, as it develops the south Wales facility as the home of electrification in Wales.

We also know, Llywydd, that the new model, the DBX, has already secured orders of almost 2,000 units. That's a phenomenal success for a luxury brand so soon after announcing the development of a sport utility vehicle of this type and so soon after unveiling it. The future of the company is very bright indeed. It will be unveiling a new car every year for the next seven years, driving not just the number of units that it produces, but also its profitability.