: First Minister,
having met with some of the colleagues that we have in the
Westminster Parliament, the UK Government does recognise, in
improving transport connections, as do you, that they are an
important part of helping people access job opportunities and
supporting business growth all across Wales. And I completely
agree with you—levelling up is very important to them, as much as
it is to all of us. That is why they are actually investing
record amounts in Wales's railway infrastructure, including more
than £1.5 billion in the Wales route from 2019 to 2024, £5.7
billion on new InterCity express trains on the Great
Western main line, £125 million on the Wales Valleys
lines upgrades, and £50 million on resignalling on the north
Wales coast main line.
The Hendy report, as you mentioned—I appreciate it; you welcome
it, and I welcome it too—said that devolution has been good for
transport and delivery has been devolved, but that this has
resulted in a lack of attention to connectivity between the
nations of the United Kingdom. The UK Government stands ready to
support any rail infrastructure scheme, including new stations,
with a strong business case behind it. Will you, First Minister,
welcome the Prime Minister's commitment to improving transport
infrastructure in Wales, and will you commit to working
collaboratively with the UK Government on the Hendy proposals to
improve transport to strengthen the Welsh economy and provide
greater connectivity?
(First Minister of
Wales): Well, the part of the Member's contribution that I
did agree was her endorsement of the Hendy review. It does indeed
say, as she says, that devolution has been good for transport,
and I think that is a solid basis from which we can now hope that
the UK Government will go ahead and implement the proposals.
Because let's be clear, Llywydd, what we have is a report that
the UK Government commissioned, and which says to them that they
need to invest, they need to invest properly, in the south Wales
main line, the north Wales line, in order to improve
connectivity. We're promised a reply from the UK Government in
the new year. At that point, what we will need to see is genuine
investment—genuine investment on their responsibilities, which
the Hendy review, fairly and squarely, puts to them. And if at
that point we see that investment coming through, then I'll be
prepared to sign up to some of the Member's propositions about
increased investment. We certainly haven't seen it up until now.
I'm optimistic that we will, if the UK Government is prepared to
act on it, see investment as a result of the review.
