3. Will the Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government’s work to promote Welsh trade and investment globally following the Cymru men’s football team's qualification for the 2022 World Cup? OQ58345

Thank you. We are actively working with a number of partners in the UK, Qatar and elsewhere in the world to maximise trade and investment opportunities for Wales from the 2022 FIFA men's world cup.

At last week's Wales international cross-party group, concerns were raised that progress has been slow in putting together the much-needed team Cymru to maximise the opportunities presented by Cymru being part of the world cup. It was stated by many attendees that it was unclear who is leading and how organisations and businesses will be involved and supported to be involved, that no key and high-level objectives have yet been set, and that it is unclear what investment is being made by both the Welsh Government and the UK Government to ensure opportunities are not missed. Worryingly, reference was made to the GREAT campaign and how Cymru would be able to benefit from this, which would go against everything that the Football Association of Wales has done in developing awareness about our distinct identity as a nation. With every day that passes, we miss crucial opportunities for Wales if we don't get this right. As Laura McAllister rightly warned, it would be unforgivable to let this opportunity pass us by. What assurances can the Minister provide to alleviate the concerns raised, and when will we receive an update about the team, resource and objectives put in place, and will these be in place prior to the recess?

Yes, in terms of the work that we're doing, of course, it's a relatively recent timescale. Work has been done and anticipated in advance, but until the fantastic occasion at the Cardiff City Stadium when we sealed qualification, we couldn't be certain about where we'd be, and the FAW in particular were keen not to be visibly acting as if we'd already qualified before we had. Actually, in the trade mission, the in-person trade mission, I led to Qatar, it was really helpful to have direct contacts in the UK embassy there, and they've been really clear that they want to be part of supporting all UK nations who qualify, and that's been really helpful. So, we have links there on the ground, but also the GREAT campaign that you mention is both an opportunity and a risk. I would want to see UK Government funds benefitting Wales as they're spent, and the GREAT campaign can't be simply England in another name. England have qualified in their own right, and I look forward to being there to see Wales beat them at the end of our group phase, but we have to be clear that the GREAT campaign is supposed to be about all the constituent parts of Britain, and so that's one of our challenges. So, we are engaging with the UK Government around that.

We're really clear that we don't want to get drawn into something that subsumes our identity, and the projection and the opportunity that this presents, into a wider campaign that doesn't meet our own objectives. That's about the work we want to do within the region itself, but it's also about the ability to project Wales on a world stage, following the WWE event in September here in Cardiff. That's largely because of the ability to have a focus on Wales in a very large market where there's more opportunity for Wales to gain. The fact that our first game is against the USA in the group stage is, actually, a really important opportunity for us. So, it's not just about physically in the region, it's about the world stage too.

I can confirm that the First Minister has asked me to lead work across the Government on delivering and developing a plan with our stakeholders, the FAW and wider. So, I'll be more than happy to update the Chamber on the work of that group, and the increased pace in the work that we're going to need to do over the summer and, indeed, in the few months leading up to our entry onto the world stage in the finals for the first time in 64 years.

I thank Heledd Fychan for bringing forward her question. The world cup is an ideal opportunity to promote Wales on the global stage, but let's look at that global stage a little wider. The Welsh Government has 21 international offices and all have a remit to attract inward investment. However, it is questionable how effective these have been in securing new opportunities for Welsh businesses; for example, the majority of these offices only have one or two members of staff and I think we only have about a £750,000 network budget. If you square that up, it's about £35,000 per global office.

I just wondered, Minister, what assessment you've made of the effectiveness of our overseas offices in driving forward trade for Welsh businesses. What consideration have you given to providing additional resources to help expand the capacity of those offices? It's so important that we promote Wales on that global stage and do it effectively, and not piecemeal. It is really important that we make progress, and I just wondered what specific plans the Government has to boost the role of the international office in Doha, Qatar, in light of the upcoming world cup in that country. Thank you.

Well, it's helpful that I've visited the region twice now, and our office in Doha is working through a range of areas. Whilst we don't have huge numbers of staff in our offices, it's a matter of fact that seven of the countries that have qualified for the men's world cup finals have Welsh Government offices within them. I think we punch above our weight where those offices are based, partly because, on the ground, away from the headline politics of some of the continuing differences that we will have with the political direction of the UK Government, there are very good relationships between the embassy and the Department for International Trade teams in each of those countries. I saw that for myself when I was in the United Arab Emirates and, indeed, in Qatar as well.

I think part of our challenge is one of the points that you made at the end: how effective can we be in taking advantage of the opportunity that exists? To date, I can honestly tell you that I've been really impressed with the range of contacts that we've managed to deliver and what that means for Welsh businesses. You don't need to take my word for it; if you talk to food and drink businesses in the middle east region, they're very positive and complimentary about the work the Welsh Government has done alongside them to open up new markets. If you talk to those businesses that have gone on trade missions, they again will say that the work that our offices do is real and significant.

I should, as my colleague has entered the Chamber, recognise that much of that comes from the international strategy that Eluned Morgan put together when she was in a previous ministerial role. I do think we'll see a real benefit from that, not just in the coming months, but in the much longer term as well.

Question 4 [OQ58351] has been withdrawn, so question 5, Rhys ab Owen.