International Trading Opportunities
1. What recent steps he has taken to promote
international trading opportunities for
Wales. [909422]
I start by congratulating coach Warren Gatland and captain
Alun Wyn Jones on their most magnificent victory in Cardiff
on Saturday. Speaking as a proud Englishman, it was a joy
to watch the game. There is no better way to kick off Wales
Week in London, in which we champion and celebrate
everything that is great about Wales, including its rugby
team.
The Wales Office works closely with the Department for
International Trade on promoting Wales’s trading
opportunities. From trade missions to his work with trade
commissioners and sitting on the Board of Trade, my right
hon. Friend the Secretary of State works continually to
create potential both for Welsh exports and for foreign
direct investment projects to come to Wales.
I associate myself with my hon. Friend’s remarks, although
I preferred the first half.
Many people will have used the M4 this weekend. Given the
M4’s potential for promoting international trade in Wales,
and indeed in the rest of the country, will my hon. Friend
tell me what progress has been made towards honouring the
commitment from the 1960s to build the M31 from Reading
down to Gatwick Airport, via the M3?
I know that my hon. Friend is a great champion for that
project, and rightly so. He is right to raise this
important issue. The Department for Transport recognises
the importance of cross-border connectivity. It has been
gathering evidence to inform the second road investment
strategy—RIS2—which will govern investment in England’s
motorways and major A roads between 2020 and 2025. Economic
growth is one of RIS2’s five stated key aims and will play
a part in the appraisal of schemes. It will be published in
2019.
