3. What assessment has the Minister made of the UK Government's proposals to provide funding to complete the M4 relief road? OQ55554

The decision on whether or not to proceed with the M4 relief road was, and remains, an entirely devolved matter.

That's not what everyone in the UK Government says, is it? You referred earlier, Minister, to what you said were two clauses that could not be more damaging to Wales. If I understood correctly, those were two clauses enabling, or at least confirming, the ability of UK Government to spend money in devolved areas over and above money already committed by devolved Government. Surely, for most people outside the Cardiff Bay bubble, that would be an unambiguously good thing, if they have the UK Government spending money over and above what Welsh Government spends. Given, in your election manifesto, you said you would build the M4 relief road, if UK Government is willing to pay for that instead, and we get it without having to pay for it, wouldn't that be a good thing?

The internal market Bill says nothing about spending on public services over and above the Welsh Government's budget. I'm sure that, if we're all honest, we would understand that this will mean a reduction in the Welsh Government's budget. And, of course, I'm not going to rake over the decision that was made some time ago now by the First Minister, but affordability was part of that. The other major concern that he had was about the environmental impact of the plans as well. But, as I say, this currently remains the purview of the Welsh Government.

Can I ask, Minister—can I ask you about the 29 houses that were purchased for over £15 million via compulsory purchase orders in preparation for the building of the M4 relief road, and, specifically, the two properties that were bought for just under £1 million in April of last year, just two months before the First Minister took the decision to abandon the M4 relief scheme? People looking in will certainly, I think, feel that these decisions on spends were disjointed. We've now seen £157 million of taxpayers' money wasted. In regards to the properties purchased, money would have been spent, of course, on professional fees. The properties themselves remain as assets. Can you provide an update in regards to the position of these properties? Have they been sold? Are they being marketed? And how much capital has been released back to the Welsh Government to allow it to spend on other capital projects?

I will have to liaise with my colleague the Minister for enviroment—sorry, the Minister for economy and transport—in relation to your question about the properties, are they being sold, have they been sold and so on. I'm afraid I don't have that answer, but I'll ensure that you do get it.

Minister, would you agree with me that if UK Government has funding available for transport infrastructure in south-east Wales it should come to the Welsh Government to decide how it should be spent? And, in line with the M4 commission, it should be spent on public transport infrastructure, for example, a new walkway station in Magor, which is very much supported by the local community.

Yes, I do absolutely agree with John Griffiths on this. He, as well as I, welcomes the latest report from Lord Burns and his team and the significant evidence base that sits behind that, and, of course, it recommends a significant upgrade to the south Wales relief rail lines as part of an integrated multimodal public transport network. This, of course, is something that John Griffiths has been promoting for his area for some time, and it does point the way to a more sustainable, long-term alternative to car use in that part of the world. I think that this is the right way forward, and we're very happy to work with John Griffiths and others to ensure that we can play our part in making that a reality.