National Assembly for Wales

To date, the predominantly rural areas of Powys, Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Gwynedd have seen investment of over £69.7 million, providing over 245,000 premises with access to fast-fibre connectivity, with average speeds of over 93Mbps.

Under Superfast Cymru 54,460 premises in Pembrokeshire have already been given access to superfast broadband. I am currently procuring a successor scheme and have identified a further 8,554 premises that could potentially be covered. In addition the ABC and UCV schemes are available to homes and businesses in the county.

The Fair Work Board has made important progress in identifying the practices impacting on Fair Work and we are establishing a Fair Work Commission to take this agenda forward.  We will also shortly be rolling-out the Economic Contract which will encourage a number of responsible business practices, including fair work.

Local authorities have been allocated this funding to tackle period poverty and maintain dignity, to spend in the best way they see fit, meeting local needs. They have been encouraged to look for sustainable options, balancing this with the need to help as many people as possible.

I have not had any discussions with the UK Government in relation to visas for EEA Nationals after Brexit because a system of visa control has not yet been proposed. A White Paper on a new immigration system is expected later this year.

The Superfast Cymru scheme has, to date, facilitated the roll-out of superfast broadband access to over 215,632 homes and businesses across the region, delivering average speeds of over 87Mbps and investing over £60million.  

I was pleased to provide an Oral Statement to the chamber yesterday in which I provided an update on proposals for a vacant land tax.

Since we published the Wales Infrastructure Investment Plan in 2012, we have invested £9 billion of core capital funding in projects across the whole of Wales, including improvements to the A40, as well as infrastructure investment in schools, housing and  health care.  

The Welsh Government is committed to ensuring that spending decisions are informed by robust evidence and value for money is considered throughout policy development.

The Welsh Government is committed to ensuring that spending decisions are informed by robust evidence and value for money is considered throughout policy development.

The Welsh Government continues to support infrastructure in Islwyn, defraying the revenue costs of capital borrowing by partners in local government and housing and by direct provision of capital funding. The £22 million new build of Islwyn High School is just one recent example of this investment.

Guidance already exists on this matter but is in the process of being updated so local authorities and the third sector organisations which provide that advice develop and share good practice. I am clear that recovery practices need to be proportionate, fair and consistently applied, with particular support being available to vulnerable households.

Our innovative procurement policies and approaches are having  positive impacts on jobs and communities in Wales. The outcome of the Review that is underway will enable us to make even more progress in conjunction with stakeholders.

In line with the 2017 Budget agreement with Plaid Cymru, we are investing £14m of revenue funding over two years to support medical education in north Wales. Cardiff, Swansea and Bangor Universities have put forward proposals to increase medical education and training in the area. These are currently being considered.