Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government – in the Senedd at 1:50 pm on 29 June 2022.

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Photo of Rebecca Evans Rebecca Evans Labour 1:50, 29 June 2022

This is a really important issue, and, of course, the UK Infrastructure Bank is supposed to be the successor to the European Investment Bank, but I think that, if you look at the sums available to it to invest, it really just pales compared to what we would have been able to access through the EIB. So, I would encourage the UK Government to reflect on the amount of support that's available to it. 

But the point made in terms of our Welsh Government approach to this is really important, because I'm not in a position yet to take a view on whether or not I would be able to recommend to this Senedd agreeing to the legislative consent memorandum. I think that there is certainly something to commend the bank for, absolutely—their focus, I think, on decarbonisation investment would be positive and something that we would support, and something that is in line with our own concerns here in Wales. But, in order to be able to recommend consent, I think I would have to know from the UK Government, and have that clear agreement through amendments to the Bill, that we would have a say in the governance of that bank, and also in the setting of the bank's remit. So, those are two conditions I think that are really important in being able to recommend consent.