Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Economy – in the Senedd at 1:56 pm on 29 September 2021.
Yes, I'm very keen that we don't just take the opportunity to generate more sustainable energy, but we see the real economic benefit being kept within Wales, as well. That's why we are already having conversations with a range of people who are going to be running the new lines that have been granted to try to make sure that supply chains are as localised as possible. That should benefit ports across Wales, including Holyhead.
I had a conversation with the leader of Ynys Môn last week, actually, about opportunities on the island, where we actually have an agenda that isn't in contradiction with where the council see themselves, and what they want to do locally as well. So, I don't think this is an area of conflict; it's about whether we're going to be able to do what we want to do as successfully as we would want to.
There are some choices for the UK Government to make here as well. On free ports, it's been disappointing that we've never got past having a much clearer idea about what the UK Government want to do and the level playing field between the different free-port proposals around the UK. It just cannot be right that, in Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland, you expect free ports to be delivered on a different basis with a lesser amount of resource than in the rest of the UK. That isn't just my view, as a Welsh Labour politician—it's also the view of the Welsh Affairs Committee, chaired and led by a Conservative Member of Parliament who, of course, has a port within his own constituency as well. But the challenge here is getting some genuine fairness, and a fair share of the resources that are available. That is absolutely the agenda of this Government, and you can expect me to continue to make the case for Holyhead and other ports to gain their fair share of investment and support here in Wales.