Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:35 pm on 14 May 2024.
John Griffiths
Labour
6:35,
14 May 2024
First Minister, I know that you're fully aware of the importance of Llanwern to the regional economy, the people directly employed at the plant, the contractors, the suppliers and the spend in the local economy. The average age at Llanwern now is, I think, in the early thirties, and, of course, there are a number of apprentices there. So, it's easy to understand why there's a great deal of concern locally about the future of the plant, given the projected job losses that will come towards us in the future. It is integrated with Port Talbot, as you also know, of course, First Minister. I think that gives a lot of concern about the work of the transition board, just to make sure that Llanwern is fully considered, appropriately considered in the work of that board and the decisions that are made.
It was good to hear you talking about the monitoring of research and development in terms of the quality of steel that an electric arc furnace would produce, because, obviously, the automotive aspect of production at Llanwern is very much allied to that quality of steel. And it's very good to hear that you will be visiting Llanwern soon, as well. But I just wonder if you could give some assurances about the work of the transition board, specifically in terms of the issues that Llanwern has.
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