Kalifa Review

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Economy – in the Senedd at 2:04 pm on 29 September 2021.

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Photo of Joel James Joel James Conservative 2:04, 29 September 2021

Thank you. As the Minister will be aware, Cardiff capital region has been identified by the Kalifa review as a place for emerging clusters of financial technology companies. The UK Government, through Her Majesty's Treasury, has appointed a fintech envoy to Wales who has been very successful in helping start FinTech Wales, an organisation, as you mentioned, that helps financial technology start-ups and promotes the region as a go-to place for businesses. I'm sure there is cross-party support for the UK Government's commitment to this, especially since financial technology has the potential to be one of Wales's most valuable sectors, and on average pays 11 per cent higher wages. There's also a strong positive correlation between quality science, technology, engineering and mathematics talent and the number of fintechs in a region. Locations that do not have a ready supply of STEM talent are much less likely to have a prevalence of fintech, with at least three higher education providers required for an area to be able to provide a big enough talent pool. Wales needs more geneticists, therapists, chemists, engineers, STEM teachers, environmental scientists and computer programmers, to name a few roles we are desperately short of. In your remit, you are responsible for science and science policy, as well as day-to-day liaising with the chief scientific officer. The Government has had some initiatives for STEM, such as the STEM awards and the Focus on Science programme, and I acknowledge that the Welsh Government has identified STEM as a key priority. However, we are still chronically short of this talent pool. Can the Minister explain what specific action he will take, going forward in his new role, to make funds available to address this shortage? Thank you.