Part of 5. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:06 pm on 8 July 2020.
Of course, we share the Minister's disappointment and are deeply sympathetic to the community around Bridgend that was, obviously, very much looking forward to the opportunities that this might have provided. May I ask the Minister, should I infer from what he said that this is a decision where we cannot expect Ineos to review their position? I think it would help people to know. And in a situation like this, the last thing we want is false hope.
Is the Minister able to say more today about what further plans for the site—what else the Welsh Government may be considering? And perhaps if he's not able, given what he's already said about this coming as a shock to him and his officials, could he undertake to keep Members updated through the recess about what developments are proceeding?
And finally, does the Minister agree with me—and in a sense, this builds on his answer to Caroline Jones—that we should perhaps learn lessons from this experience, and that it is maybe time for us to refocus, as a nation, our economic policies, both into the green agenda, as Caroline Jones has suggested, but also so that we rely less on inward investment, that we are less vulnerable to the vagaries of businesses and individuals like the person involved in this situation, and that we invest more in growing our own business infrastructure, the business who are rooted here who believe in their communities and who will make that work? Of course, that takes longer to deliver jobs, but when those jobs are delivered, they are very much more likely to stay.