Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Economy – in the Senedd at 2:16 pm on 1 December 2021.
Thank you for the supplementary. I don’t think I’d share the Member’s characterisation of debates within the Senedd and the priorities of the Government. Today, we have, of course, heard about tourism from a number of questions, but it’s a significant part of our economy. We think it can grow sustainably in the future, year round. But, also, we've talked about other sectors too. We’ve heard a question about legal professional services today, and I myself have recently had a follow-up meeting in my role as the lead Minister for science in the Government with the life sciences hub around the corner from the Senedd. So, I am certainly interested in how we deliver high skills and good wages here within Wales. It’s been a key part of what I’ve discussed and, indeed, my predecessor has made clear during his time as the economy Minister as well.
I am optimistic about our ability to generate greater growth within these areas. We know digital innovation is key for small, medium and large businesses in the future. We know that, in life sciences, we already punch above our weight. The way that the health service is organised within Wales is a real benefit for generating more investment in that sector, as well as the excellence in research terms within the university sector. The Member will, of course, be aware that his local university, Swansea, have Pfizer, for example, where they chose to come to Swansea because of the excellence in the university and because of what the healthcare system offers in terms of having a whole-system analysis on improvement.
So, yes, we are already working with universities. They’re concerned about the loss of some of the research funding that European funds used to give them, but I am confident that we will continue to see greater return from what universities do in research, development and innovation to improve our economy, not just in the three areas the Member outlines, but in other areas too, and I look forward to working with the Member to do just that.