Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Economy – in the Senedd at 2:20 pm on 1 December 2021.
I've been really consistent since I've taken on this post, but even beforehand. My interest in the economy as health Minister was the reality that people who are in better-paid work are much more likely to have better health outcomes. It's not just about the taxes they pay to fund public services, but they are less likely to need healthcare as well. I had a number of conversations with Ken Skates in that former role about our joint interest in life sciences, our joint interest in helping employers to become better employers. Because the improvement of well-being in the workplace is a really important factor for the health service as well. When it comes to well-paid jobs in advanced manufacturing, aerospace is a good example, and I'm really keen that we don't see jobs leave Wales; I want to see this sector continue to have a good future and, indeed, a growing future in Wales. Part of that is the work that those companies are already engaged in, in looking at how they decarbonise the industry, how they take advantage of new methods of construction that can improve the products they provide, and, crucially, I think, the transition to new fuel technologies as well. Net-zero flight is likely to be a generation away, but between that time, there is a real imperative to reduce the carbon not just in the production process but in the way that aerospace operates, and we have a range of those examples within Wales. So, I'd be happy to meet with the Member to discuss that in more detail, because I am confident and positive about the future of the aerospace industry here in Wales.