Ken Skates AM (Minister for Economy, Transport and North
Wales):...It's worth saying that, over the last five years,
automotive companies in Wales, including those supporting the
supply chain, have had help to the tune of £200 million in
supporting their growth and in supporting the 12,000 jobs that are
contained within the sector. It's also fair to say that there has
been, until very recently, a renaissance in UK car production. For
a variety of reasons, the sector right now is facing...Request free trial
(Minister for Economy,
Transport and North Wales):...It's worth saying that, over
the last five years, automotive companies in Wales, including those
supporting the supply chain, have had help to the tune of £200
million in supporting their growth and in supporting the 12,000
jobs that are contained within the sector. It's also fair to say
that there has been, until very recently, a renaissance in UK car
production. For a variety of reasons, the sector right now is
facing considerable difficulty and transformation. We're assisting
in the transformation through focusing our resource on those
automotive companies that clearly have the best prospects of
succeeding in the transition to low- and zero-emissions vehicles.
And we have an incredibly strong record in attracting investment,
including from Ineos Automotive most recently. As
part of the support that we were offering to Kasai we, through the
Wales automotive forum, introduced the company to
Ineos and to Aston Martin Lagonda and to others in
the hope that alternative work may be secured in order to avoid
closure. Unfortunately, the bridge between the closure of Honda and
the work that would come from other manufacturers was so great as
to necessitate the announcement that has been made recently.
However, the company is not due to close, if it decides to proceed
with closure, until July 2021. This gives a significant amount of
time for us to assist, through our regional response teams, through
Careers Wales and so forth, every single individual that might be
affected. But it also gives us, during the consultation period, an
opportunity to say to the company once again, 'Reconsider the
announcement. Please, if there is any way possible, maintain your
operations in Merthyr.'
...I think it's worth recognising, though, Dirprwy Lywydd,
that the people who work at the site are incredibly loyal and
incredibly well skilled, and this was something that the First
Minister stated to the company when he visited the business
headquarters in Japan in September 2019, when he reiterated Welsh
Government's commitment to fully support them. That support, still
available, comes in the context of huge problems for the business
because they were so reliant on Honda in Swindon. As I said in
response to , we have exhausted many
opportunities that we had hoped would provide alternative sources
of work for Kasai, including Aston Martin Lagonda
and Ineos Automotive,
and other automotive companies in Wales and across the border as
well. But we stand ready to continue in that search for alternative
work to keep those loyal and skilled people within the
workplace....
...Can I thank the Member for her questions and firstly invite her
to welcome the success that the Welsh Government has had in
attracting manufacturers that are at the forefront of utilising
low- and zero-emissions propulsion systems within cars—for example,
the success we enjoyed in attracting Aston Martin Lagonda to Wales?
Aston Martin Lagonda have made Wales their home for electric
vehicles; equally Ineos Automotive, who are looking
at utilising hydrogen for future power systems within their
vehicles. So, we are already investing very heavily in those
industries that will become so significant globally in the years to
come...
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