Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:52 pm on 15 February 2022.
Minister, I would like to ask for a debate in Government time on Government policy for the Valleys. You will be aware, since the election last year, there have been very few opportunities to discuss the way in which the Welsh Government is going to develop policy, and economic policy particularly, for the Valleys of south Wales. I'd like that debate to be informed by two statements, with, first of all, a report on the work of the Valleys taskforce. A number of Ministers gave a number of commitments, including myself, in the last Senedd on the ambitions of the Welsh Government, but there's not been a report on the outturn of what the Valleys taskforce achieved in that time and whether it addressed and reached its targets or not. So, I'd like to see a report on the work of the Valleys taskforce published as soon as possible.
And the second statement that I'd like to ask for is on the Tech Valleys programme. This is £100 million investment programme, focused on my own constituency in Blaenau Gwent. It is now reaching the halfway point, and it would be a good time, I think, for us to look back at what it has achieved over the last five years or so and what the plans are for it to achieve in the next five years.