|
Enterprise and Business Committee |
|
Meeting Venue: |
Committee Room 3 - Senedd |
|
|
||
|
|
|
||||
|
Meeting date: |
Wednesday, 19 February 2014 |
|
|||
|
|
|
||||
|
Meeting time: |
09.00 - 12.45 |
|
|||
|
|
|
||||
|
This meeting can be viewed on Senedd
TV at: |
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
Concise Minutes: |
|||||
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Assembly Members: |
|
William Graham (Chair) Mick Antoniw Keith Davies Dafydd Elis-Thomas Rhun ap Iorwerth Julie James Eluned Parrott Joyce Watson |
|||
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Witnesses: |
|
Edwina Hart, Minister for Economy, Science and Transport, Minister for Economy, Science and Transport Rob Hunter, Welsh Government Professor Gareth Morgan, Life Sciences Sector Panel Chair James Price, Welsh Government David Williams, Energy & Environment Sector Panel Chair |
|||
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Committee Staff: |
|
Siân Phipps (Clerk) Claire Morris (Second Clerk) Olga Lewis (Deputy Clerk) |
|||
|
|
|
||||
1 Forward Work Programme discussion
1.1 The Committee considered this Item in private.
1.2 The Committee decided to undertake two inquiries in the summer term: a follow-up inquiry into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills; and an inquiry into Tourism.
1.3 The Committee also decided on two one-day follow-up inquiries: on Ports and on Interreg.
1.4 The Committee agreed to consider an inquiry into the priority economic sectors for the autumn term.
2 Welsh Language Scrutiny
2.1 The Committee considered this Item in private
2.2 The Committee agreed that the Chair would write to the Chair of the CELG Committee Chair to outline how it would incorporate scrutiny of the Welsh language into its forward work programme.
3 Inspire Wales Awards
3.1 The Committee considered this Item in private
3.2 The Members decided against participating in the Inspire Wales Awards as a Committee.
4 Introductions, apologies and substitutions
4.1 Apologies were received from David Rees AM and Byron Davies AM. There were no substitutions.
5 Inquiry into the Welsh Government's approach to the promotion of trade and inward investment - evidence session 10 (09.45-10.45)
5.1 The Committee took evidence from Professor Gareth Morgan, Life Sciences Sector Panel Chair and David Williams, Energy & Environment Sector Panel Chair.
6 Six monthly update and budget outturn 2012-13 (11.00-12.30)
6.1 The Committee took evidence from the Minister for Economy, Science and Transport, Welsh Government. The Minister was supported by James Price, Director General, Economy, Science and Transport, Welsh Government and Rob Hunter, Director, Finance and Performance, Welsh Government
6.2 The Minister agreed to provide:
- details of the transfers made in the 2012-2013 transport budget and the basis on which the additional transport investments were prioritised;
- a collated summary of the breakdowns of the cost per job figures to show which type of business or financial support delivers the greatest return on investment and a note setting out how return on investment is assessed by the Department for EST (for example through the use of investment panels and WIDAB);
- a breakdown of how much of the £1.6million of efficiency savings in the delivery of the Superfast Cymru project were achieved by removing external consultancy fees;
- inclusion of the Programme for Government transport indicators within the Minister’s next six-monthly update, with commentary summarising the impact of policy.
6.3 The Minister also agreed that the annual update for economy and science would clearly show, at action level, the jobs and investment induced outputs that were achieved in 2013-14, along with the expenditure associated with achieving those outputs. In light of the fact that jobs assisted are achieved with no Welsh Government expenditure, the Committee would appreciate it if the jobs outputs were broken down to show separately jobs created, safeguarded and assisted.
7 Papers to note
7.1 The Committee noted the following supporting documents:
EBC(4)-05-14(p.9) – Letter from the Chair to the Minister regarding WOMEX dated 17 January 2014
EBC(4)-05-14(p.10) – The Minister's response regarding WOMEX dated 27 January 2014
EBC(4)-05-14(p.11) - TEN-T - Letter from the Chair to the Minister dated 24 January 2014
EBC(4)-05-14(p.12) - TEN-T - Minister's response dated 5 February 2014
EBC(4)-05-14(p.13) – TEN-T – Letter from Herald Ruijters dated 06.02.14
EBC(4)-05-14(p.14) – Recent UKTI - WG Relationship History
Minutes of the previous meeting