1. Will the Minister make a statement on the recent news that Bearmach Ltd at Pantglas Industrial Estate, Bedwas, has gone into administration? TQ659

Thank you for the question. We understand that Bearmach Ltd has gone into administration. Working Wales advisers have provided onsite support to Bearmach employees over a three-week period, and we will continue to work with staff affected, providing advice and support. It's my understanding that up to 89 people will be affected by this company closure and are facing redundancy. 

The Deputy Presiding Officer (David Rees) took the Chair.

That's a helpful initial answer. I was informed on Monday 12 September by Caerphilly council about Bearmach. They've manufactured and supplied spare parts for older Land Rover vehicles, based, as I said, at Pantglas industrial estate. The council had been informed by the Welsh Government late the previous Friday, and I understand the company have received Welsh Government grant support in the past. Has Careers Wales been involved with the company? The local authority said it will be in contact with them to help from an employability perspective, so I'd like to know that. Unfortunately, the exact numbers of those being made redundant wasn't confirmed. The Minister did confirm it in his answer; it was reported to us as 51, but now he's confirmed it's 89. This is obviously very disappointing news for the local economy in Bedwas and the surrounding area. I'd like to know what the Minister is planning to do to further support the economy in the area around Pantglas and Bedwas particularly. Can the Minister give us a further assessment of the impact of Bearmach's closure on the workforce of the local community, including his understanding of the role of Careers Wales? And can he please clarify what further support will be made available to former employees from the Welsh Government, in addition to that that he's already mentioned? 

Thank you. I'll try and deal with each of those points. Our understanding is that 89 people were employed on the site, and given that it's our understanding that they've gone into administration and it's likely that there will be a site closure, they're all at risk of redundancy. My understanding is that a limited number of employees have been retained for a period of weeks to help support the closure of the business and remove stock onsite. For those who are not aware, Bearmach is an independent supplier of parts and accessories for Land Rover vehicles, and of course, there are still many of those in existence. 

Working Wales is part of the Careers Wales service, so they've been onsite providing support to employees. We're also beginning to work with them—we understand there is some trade union membership there—to look at advice and guidance both by group and individual sessions. Some of the main levers of support that we can provide are through our ReAct Plus programme. That is available for people either affected by possible redundancy, or, in this case, a live redundancy situation. So, we're working with Jobcentre Plus and, indeed, Working Wales to provide tailored information, advice and guidance. It also provides a vocational training grant of up to £1,500 to help people whose jobs have been made redundant to potentially acquire new skills to allow them to re-enter the labour market, including alternative employment.

I should say, and I'll happily confirm this again, that if people want more information, they can contact Working Wales on 0800 0284844. So, if people haven't had direct contact, they can do on that number, and I'll send the number and those details across to the constituency Member as well. We also provide a range of other support in the area, including the business productivity enhancement programme. We're looking to enhance the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises in the local area as well, so that there are, we hope, alternative sources of employment. 

Part of my concern is that whilst the labour market is currently very tight, if the forecasts from a range of economists from the Bank of England are right, we could face a number of similar situations facing the economy in the coming weeks and months. But, I'd be more than happy to talk to the Member even after this question, because I think this will be a moving picture. 

Bearmach has been a good local employer for many years in the Bedwas and Trethomas area. Apart from the 50 jobs that have been quoted as being affected, there will also be, as we've heard, lots of other agency staff employed at the site, who have now lost their income at the worst possible time. This will also be a blow to local businesses who worked in tandem with Bearmach, or benefited from workers spending their money in the local community. Can you let the Chamber know whether Bearmach approached you for any financial assistance and what support was subsequently offered? And has the closure of Bearmach, a once-successful company that has been unable to weather the tough economic conditions, prompted a rethink in the Government's prioritisation of the car industry as a driver of the Welsh economy?  

I think there are two different questions there. Firstly, it's a point that is worth reflecting that agency workers, unless they've got acquired employment rights—. And there is a process; I remember doing this when I was an employment lawyer. If you've been there long enough, you can claim permanent status. Otherwise, they won't have redundancy protection and they won't be entitled to payments, because they won't have acquired employment rights and, indeed, the length of employment service. 

When it then comes to the challenge more broadly over the automotive sector, we do still see the automotive sector as a significant part of the Welsh economy, moving forward. It's obviously vulnerable to some of the changes that are taking place, and in particular the changes in our trading relationships outside of the UK, in particular our trading relationships with Europe. That has made a number of parts of the sector more vulnerable. But it will be a period of change for the sector, and there are opportunities, moving forward, in new methods of propulsion with the significant strength we still maintain here as part of the economy, and, indeed, part of the broader manufacturing picture.

I'll be meeting members of the Welsh automotive sector next week at the Welsh Automotive Forum Autolink conference. I've met them on a number of occasions, looking at challenges that the sector faces. We weren't aware in advance of the fairly immediate site closure. I've met with my own officials, and there weren't early warning signals. There wasn't engagement with the company in the longer term or even the short term in advance; we were aware of the closure when it took place. So, my officials have offered to engage with the company, as, indeed, you'll see; there's been official engagement through my department with the Working Wales service. As there is more information, I'm happy to share it with Members who have an interest.

Thank you, Minister. The Deputy Minister for arts and sport will answer the second question. I call on Heledd Fychan.