3. Statement by the Minister for Economy: Progressing the Economic Resilience and Reconstruction Mission

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:14 pm on 22 March 2022.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 3:14, 22 March 2022

I thank the Member for his contribution. He is consistent on his point that he believes there should be more targets across a range of areas. My view is that of course poverty is a significant part of what we are looking to do and the fight against poverty. And actually, if we weren't interested in that, we wouldn't be looking to have interventions, for example, in the employability and skills plan, aimed at those people furthest from the labour market. We wouldn't have the significant aspects of the young person's guarantee that are looking to get people with lower skills, who are likely to be less well off, younger people who have yet to enter the world of work, to make sure they have an experience of the world of work and positive support. And there's part of the point about what is the Government doing, why are we doing this.

Well, apart from anything else, it isn't just about the improvement for the individuals and communities, and it isn't just about how we feel as a country; actually, without Government support and intervention, a range of things wouldn't happen. So, Business Wales wouldn't have been created on its own by the private sector. A range of areas that we've talked about that support the co-operative economy, if the Government wasn't active in that space, we can be very confident that those things wouldn't happen. And actually, what we're trying to say is this is partly about moving towards our national milestones, the national milestones we set out, the way that we want to be able to do business, and also, some of the metrics that we will use and we know we'll look to. So, for example, will we have made a difference on the levels of economic activity? Where will we be on employment? Where will we be on average wages? And crucially, the difference in different parts of Wales, which is a conversation I have regularly had with the Member and colleagues from Valleys constituencies about what difference are we making. Because we could make a difference to the national impact across the country and do nothing about economic inequality, and that's not where this Government is and it's certainly not where I am. I look forward not just to a conversation with the Member, but to being able to set out in more detail, as we move through this term, the progress I think that we will make and then making a difference to people's lives, in his community and others around Wales.