4. To what extent has the Welsh Government considered amending their rural development plan in light of Brexit? OAQ(5)0112(ERA)

Diolch. Stakeholders have given me their assessment of the impacts on both economy and communities. I will invest in projects of good value to assist businesses and communities build their long-term resilience. Later this month, I will announce details of when and how the remaining funds will be committed and spent.

Could the Cabinet Secretary state whether it would be possible to adapt the programme, even at this late stage, in order, for example, to expand the use of financial instruments within the programme, providing further loan facilities for businesses in rural communities, which could, then, be recirculated in the economy post Brexit?

We did look very seriously at using financial instruments in the RDP, but they’re very complex. They’re very slow to set up, and they are very costly to administer, and we found it would take about two years to set it up, and then, you know, make the first payment. So, you know, with Brexit now coming down the track, I don’t think there would be the time. I don’t think it would be cost-effective to do so now, but I think there are other ways of using our funding that we need to look at very closely. I’m keen to get as much of the funding out as quickly as possible. And, as I say, I will be making an announcement later this month.

I’m pleased to hear the Cabinet Secretary saying that she understands the importance of making the most of what we have left of the European programmes currently in existence. In the past I have discussed with her and her officials the possibility of establishing a food production park on Anglesey. Will the Cabinet Secretary be willing to consider that now, as one of the major projects, investing in the rural economy in an area such as Anglesey, which could benefit from the funding available now?

Funnily enough, I was talking with my officials about food production areas—not just in Ynys Môn, but in other part of Wales—yesterday, and it’s certainly something we can look at. As I say, I’ve recently agreed the future delivery mechanisms for the remainder of the programme, but I will be making a fuller announcement because we still have £223 million of the programme available. If it’s possible, we can certainly look at that.

Cabinet Secretary, there are clearly many unanswered questions surrounding the hugely complicated process that is Brexit. In answer I think to a question from Neil Hamilton earlier, you said that Wales is way ahead of other nations at this point—I presume by that, you mean within the UK—in terms of looking at how we’re going to develop the systems after Brexit. Can you update us—? Can you explain a little bit more about your reasoning behind that? And also, what discussions have you had with the farming unions in Wales to make sure that farming support does continue?

There are many, many, unanswered questions. The magnitude of this work is huge, but we are grasping it, and I think the answer I gave to Neil Hamilton was that we were way ahead of the four UK countries in relation to stakeholder engagement. I think that was the specific answer I gave to Neil Hamilton. So, I’ve had many, many discussions with the farming unions, but not just the farming unions—the wider stakeholders. Because it’s not just about farming unions; it’s also about the environment sector, the forestry sector. We’re making sure that in our stakeholder engagement events, everybody is around the table. I was very keen to avoid silo working, so you’d have the agricultural sector working over here, and the environment sector working over there, and I think that’s why we’ve had such good buy-in, really, from our stakeholders.