Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government – in the Senedd at 1:52 pm on 29 June 2022.
Well, I think that your question sets out why it is so important that we have these amendments to the UK Government's Bill, both in terms of the governance of the bank—so, at the moment, it's only UK Treasury Ministers who are allowed to nominate people to those positions on the board; obviously, we would see a role for devolved Governments in this space, and I made that case clearly to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury when I met with him a couple of weeks ago—and then also setting the remit of the bank is really important as well. It will be operating in devolved spaces in terms of economic development and supporting our Welsh businesses, so we would want that investment to be done in a way that complements and works with the grain of what Welsh Government is seeking to achieve.
I did have the opportunity to meet with the chair of the UKIB, and I was able to set out what our priorities are to the chair of the bank. But I think that it has to come down to amendments to the Bill, and, if those amendments are made, then I could recommend consent to the Senedd, but we have yet to get to that point. So, obviously, I'll be keen to keep colleagues updated on this.