6. Statement by the Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales: Metro Projects in Wales

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:37 pm on 25 February 2020.

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Photo of Ken Skates Ken Skates Labour 5:37, 25 February 2020

Can I thank Mark Isherwood for his questions? With regard to the charging scheme that we have at Deeside industrial park, we expect the market, first and foremost, to invest in these schemes, and then, when there's market failure, we will use taxpayers' valuable investment to invest in these schemes. But all of the indications are that, in places such as Deeside industrial park and in our railway stations, the private sector is ready to invest. And that's why TfW, Transport for Wales, have been remitted to work on a strategy for utilising the public estate to draw in private sector investment.

In terms of HS2, I just go back to the point I made earlier: yes, there would be a £50 million benefit to the economy of north-east Wales, however, it is dependent on the right hub being developed in Crewe. But the benefits could be so much greater, so much greater, if an additional £1 billion was to be spent on electrifying from Crewe to Chester and then through to Holyhead; £1 billion compared to the £1 billion great train robbery that we've seen in the past five years. This is simply IOUs coming to reality, if the UK Government decides to invest. And against an overall spend of £106 billion, £1 billion of investment in north Wales is not a considerable ask of the UK Government.

In terms of engagement with the North Wales Economic Ambition Board on our vision, we have presented to and engaged with council leaders, higher education leaders, further education leaders and representatives of business organisations. Much of the work stems from the recommendations of Growth Track 360, the report that provided the Welsh Government and the UK Government with a framework for investment in rail services and rail infrastructure. And the Member will be aware that Growth Track 360 comes from the work of the Mersey Dee Alliance, which includes council leaders who also sit on the North Wales Economic Ambition Board.

Now, Mark Isherwood is right to question the investment and when it will lead to improvements at those hubs that I mentioned in my statement. I'm pleased to say that that £20 million of additional money for the north Wales metro will be used for some of those hubs. Whether it can be spread across all of them with major impact is to be determined, but we're going to use that £20 million for those hubs elsewhere in north Wales and not just concentrate it within Deeside where there is already a considerable sum of investment.