10. Will the Minister provide an update on Welsh Government priorities for the food and drink sector in Wales? OQ57932

Thank you. I laid out my priorities for the food and drink sector in my industry vision. They are to continue supporting a strong, vibrant industry with improving productivity, fair work provision, increasingly  adopting industry accreditation and improving sustainability. I also seek strong networks between and within supply chains, adding value to primary production, retail and the service sector.

I thank you, Minister, for that answer, and of course the food and drink sector is incredibly important to the Welsh economy, contributing £17.3 billion in gross sales annually. It's really important, then, that our skills policy aligns with the needs of the sector so that it can thrive and support good quality jobs. So, could you tell us what discussions you've had with colleagues across Government to ensure that this is the case?

Thank you. You're quite right: it's a very important sector and, alongside the gross sales you referred to, it also employs 0.25 million people here in Wales. I have to say, my colleagues in Welsh Government are very supportive; they see the food sector as a priority sector. We have many funded projects: we've got Food Skills Cymru, personal learning accounts that have been funded through our further education colleges to upskill people in all areas of the industry, whether that be business management or leadership or trade negotiations, food technology, health and safety. There's a really good number of case studies on the Food Skills Cymru website, and I'd encourage Members to have a look at that. Apprenticeships, as you know, have also been undergoing a review here in Wales, and I've been very keen to promote as many food sector apprenticeships as possible. I'd like to really see an increase in the number of apprentices that we have in this field.

I think another thing that we need to do is make the sector a bit more attractive. I think it's quite often viewed as unsociable hours, for instance. So, I think businesses really need to look at the shift patterns that they use to encourage more people to go into the sector.

I thank the Minister.