Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Social Justice – in the Senedd at 1:59 pm on 20 October 2021.
Many thanks, Minister, for your response there. Members across this Chamber, of course, will have supported their communities in attempting to keep banks in their own constituencies, and as we all know in this Chamber, the banks will perhaps receive those petitions and then go ahead and ignore, and banks will close. But, of course, I've been a long-time advocate myself, Minister, of a community banking model; I believe that there does need to be Government intervention, so I certainly support the Welsh Government's aims via Banc Cambria. This is an absolutely crucial project. I know, in a Government statement just before the election, Minister, the Government Minister, then Ken Skates, said that he hoped to be in a position to make further announcements in regard to Banc Cambria before the end of 2021. So, I wonder if you could provide any information today in terms of when that announcement will be brought forward, but particularly how Members can lobby for locations to be in their own constituencies. I've been a long-time advocate that those banks should be in place in my own constituency in towns like Llanidloes, Machynlleth and Welshpool, so I'll continue to lobby for those areas. But, Minister, can you provide an update—because I understand you will be the Minister responsible once Banc Cambria has been developed—in terms of supporting Members to ensure that Banc Cambria's locations are in areas across Wales that are most appropriate, and particularly those, of course, in rural constituencies like mine?