Part of 2. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:44 pm on 4 July 2017.
Andrew RT Davies
Conservative
1:44,
4 July 2017
Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister, last week, obviously, the Government took the decision not to back the Circuit of Wales development at the Heads of the Valleys in Blaenau Gwent. One of the proposals that was put forward was, obviously, the development of an automotive technology park that potentially could create 1,500 jobs over its lifespan. The enterprise zone has been in existence in Blaenau Gwent for over five years now. In its first four years, it created 172 jobs, and in the last year the figures are available for it managed to create a mere eight jobs. What confidence can you give that this technology park that you’re proposing will actually generate the jobs that you say it will generate—1,500—when your enterprise zone, which has been going for five years, hasn’t even generated 200 jobs?
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
