Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:11 pm on 4 October 2022.
Thank you. I'll just deal with the free-ports point first, and I'll tell you upfront that I'm going to avoid giving you a straight answer, because I'm going to be the decision-taking Minister, so I can't tell you that I definitely won't accept a bid from someone, because I'll have to consider that objectively.
I've heard what you've had to say about Porthcawl and Port Talbot, and I'm sure there'll be bids right across the country. I see Members in this Chamber who have alternative ports that they take an interest in, who may want to press me to agree at this point that their local area will be the one that'll be agreed. But, I will look at all of the bids and I will do what the prospectus says we're going to do; so, anyone who isn't committed to fair work isn't going to get agreement to be a free port in Wales, at least.
On your broader point about Brocastle, it's interesting, because it's one of the things that we're going to need to do more of and to think about: how we not just see large employment sites and get good-quality employment on there, but, actually, how you get people to and from work as well. So, that's both about the design and about their links to public transport, but it is also about active travel and options to think about how, if you can't decarbonise the whole journey to work, can you do something about the last mile or the last element of it. Can you do something that will take out the workers' footprint on getting to work itself? But, I'm really optimistic about Brocastle. It's been a significant investment by the Welsh Government that's brought that site forward. We should see a large number of jobs on that site, and, again, jobs with a real future.
With Ford, my officials and I have been in contact with the company to make clear that it's a really significant employment site. It has had high-quality, high-wage employment on it in the past for a significant period of time. What I don't want to see is that that employment site goes into a much lower wage series of alternatives. The company will need to decide—we're not in a position to make the decision for them—but I do think there are high-wage and high-skill opportunities that we would definitely want to see put onto that site, and that continues to be the case that we make to the company itself.
I do see Bridgend as being hugely important, not just in terms of it being the Member's constituency, but for the number of opportunities that there are within the different employment available, with lots of it high-wage and high-skill, but also our contribution for the future; for example, the new investment in the college as well, to make sure that people are properly equipped for the future and at a variety of different ages. I do look forward at some point to visiting the constituency with the Member, as she has asked me on a number of occasions; at some point, I'm sure our diaries will align.