National Space Strategy

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Economy – in the Senedd at 2:10 pm on 15 June 2022.

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Photo of Sarah Murphy Sarah Murphy Labour 2:10, 15 June 2022

Thank you, Minister. It's great to hear about the opportunities that are going to arise from that strategy. I recently spoke with the Institute of Physics, who have been running the Our Space Our Future scheme across nine schools in Wales, including year 8 at Brynteg Comprehensive School in my constituency. The scheme aims to shift perceptions of space from being a career path for a small minority to an industry with a multitude of opportunities, like using space technology to fight cancer and interplanetary—I'll get this right—engineering that helps to tackle the climate emergency here on earth.

But, it's also about ensuring that we have a diverse workforce in this field, and I have to say that many have raised with me how disappointed they were when the UK Government's social mobility adviser said recently, when giving evidence, that physics isn't something that girls tend to fancy, because it has a lot of hard maths. We cannot let this mindset determine the opportunities for girls, working class, disabled people, or those from ethnic minority backgrounds here in Wales. So, Minister, do you agree with me that schemes such as Our Space Our Future are vital to mobilise the future workforce for Wales, and we must ensure that diversity and opportunity for all are given within strategies such as the national space strategy for Wales?