6. Welsh Conservatives Debate: Free ports

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:55 pm on 8 February 2023.

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Photo of Joyce Watson Joyce Watson Labour 4:55, 8 February 2023

I knew you'd sink to the lowest denominator. So, the answer, clearly, to that question is 'no'. You're trying to mix things up here, quite deliberately, and that's why you've tabled this debate. Because you, ideologically, think it's a good idea to give free tax breaks to the very wealthy to take money out of our country and hand it to wherever.

There's another debate that's going on, and that is: do we want the investment in our areas that actually helps people to have really good jobs with very good wages that are protected by that income generation, which could also help, actually—if you weren't allowing all that leeching of taxpayers' money—to invest in all the things that you ask here, week by week? Where's the money? Well, there it is.

So, let's be clear about this. We need to also remember that people are actually striking for more pay at the moment. You've asked us to settle—quite rightly, and we are going in that direction—good terms and conditions for workers. So, you know, let's keep the taxpayers here. These aren't all my thoughts, either. Two thirds of respondents to the free-port policy also agreed with everything that I've just said. So, my question is: how is the Welsh Government going to deliver its promise, via the workers' consultative forum, of fair work and social partnerships that are part of our ideology on this side?

That said, our ports are a gateway to growth and levelling up, but as centres of cleaner energy, not as a free-market free for all. That is the ambition for the Milford Haven future energy cluster that I want to see. Our ports can drive change. They will drive change. They will enable the decarbonisation of green energy. They will bring in industry and transport and logistics, and they are, indeed, ideally located to serve as generation, storage and distribution sites for emerging technologies like green hydrogen and floating offshore wind in the Celtic sea. That's the future I want to see for our ports, and that should be the political focus going on.

I heard a whole list of, 'This is what they'll do for people.' So, if you look at 2.1.13 in the document about free ports, it says that they

'could include commitments in relation to the real living wage and trade union engagement.'

The word 'could' is actually vital here, and it's not in the Tories' ideology to enable workers' rights, as they have clearly demonstrated in their very recent drive against trade unions and fair play.