Part of 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:22 pm on 30 March 2022.
This has come as a terrible blow to the island's economy, and I'll say more about that in a moment, but more immediately, of course, to the workforce, and my thoughts are with them today. One told me they'd been informed through a WhatsApp message group. A member of my team has been taking part this afternoon in a meeting of a taskforce set up to help workers, and I'm grateful to Citizens Advice for convening that, to Anglesey council and other agencies for the part that they're playing too.
Now, one obvious priority is to make sure that staff get paid. I understand that it was tomorrow that they were due to be paid. Some say they won't be able to pay their rents next month. Now, will the Minister make this a priority in discussions with administrators and will he outline other steps that Government officials are ready to take to support the workforce at this time? The other element here is the importance of this site—the old Anglesey Aluminium site and its jetty for cruise liners, a rail hub, a power hub, so many aspects to it. We're told that the problems we're facing today are linked to the financing of the Orthios project. We'll no doubt come to understand more and be able to talk more about those issues in due course. So, (a) can I ask the Minister if he will meet with me to discuss the current situation and the future of the site? And (b) can I have an undertaking that no stone will be left unturned, working with Orthios, its investors and other partners to ensure that the potential of this site can be maximised and in a sustainable way? There have been many questions asked and real frustrations at the pace of development since Orthios took over the site, but more recently, there had been investment and jobs created. But in seeking a way forward now and seeking the re-employment of the workers very, very soon, we owe it to them to ensure that there is genuine sustainability to development going forward.