3. What consideration has the Cabinet standing committee for north Wales given to cross-border collaboration through the Mersey Dee Alliance? OQ58772

Thank you. The Cabinet sub-committee for north Wales has discussed broad policy areas that impact on the Mersey Dee Alliance area, including transport, skills and COVID recovery. The Welsh Government is a founder member, and we value the partnership of organisations working to support the cross-border economy.

Minister, that's great to hear because, of course, public transport is a key issue—probably the most important issue—to consider on a cross-border basis in the Mersey Dee area. Last weekend, Carolyn Thomas and I went to Chester. We met with key figures from across the border in England, including metro mayors Steve Rotherham and Andy Burnham, as well as Samantha Dixon, and we of course spoke about the need to improve public transport, particularly bus services on a cross-border basis. As north Wales Minister, would you agree to convene a north Wales and north-west of England summit to focus on transport and the potential economic benefits of working together across the border in this area, which has such a strong contribution to make to the Welsh and UK economy? And would you agree that it’s absolutely vital that we consider important transport infrastructure improvements, including that of the Wrexham-Bidston main railway line? 

Thank you. I would certainly agree with you on that final point and I know it’s really important that we have partners working together in relation to the Wrexham-Bidston line, and that includes, obviously, Transport for Wales, Merseyrail, and the Welsh Government itself.

In relation to a summit, probably at the current time, while the north Wales transport commission is having a look at what it needs to do following the publication of its progress report—. I met with the chair of the commission, and currently he is looking to talk to stakeholders around cross-border transport, because it is, as you say, so important for north Wales, and I would encourage stakeholders from the cross-border region to certainly engage with the commission.

You will know very well, as you, obviously, chaired the sub-committee previously, that it’s really important that, at that committee, we invite people to come in from outside to give presentations, so I have asked officials to ask both Steve Rotherham and Andy Burnham to come along to the committee. I think it’s very important that ministerial colleagues hear about the links we have with the north-west of England and how important they are for north Wales, and particularly north-east Wales, and, obviously, the local authority leaders also attend that committee. So, I’m hoping, either at the next committee meeting or the one after that, that both the mayors will be able to come along to that.

Can I join Ken Skates in calling for and highlighting the opportunities there are in terms of that cross-border collaboration in north-east Wales and north-west England, especially on transport there, where we see around 200,000 people cross that border on a daily basis? But, indeed, there are other opportunities, which I think the Mersey Dee Alliance, as a great example, is looking to exploit, which is the opportunity of working across UK Government, Welsh Government and local authorities across the border, and one of those is—. I had the privilege of attending a meeting with HyNet on Monday of this week, who were sharing with me again their intended project not just to make sure hydrogen is available in the region, but also in removing carbon from many of the industries in the region as well, and the investment of billions of pounds in the area. So, I wonder, Minister, what assessment you’ve made of the role the standing committee can play in working with the Mersey Dee Alliance to ensure that projects like HyNet and other positive environmentally friendly projects like that will make a difference in the region.

As I say, it’s really important that all partners work together and I think you’re right about the HyNet project. Again, I’ve met with both Steve Rotherham and Andy Burnham to discuss the role that HyNet and the hydrogen project can play across border, and they’re both very keen to get involved. So, the committee can bring all these partners together, and you heard me say in my earlier answer to Ken Skates that it’s really important that we get people from outside to be able to help us with our deliberations, particularly as the local authority leaders from right across north Wales—north-west and north-east—are at that meeting, to hear about how closely we can work together, because, as you said, a significant number of people cross that border every day.