The Economy Secretary made the announcement ahead of a visit to Ebbw Vale on Monday, where he is due to meet local apprentices and speak to the board of the Enterprise Zone and others about his plans and vision for the area.  

Earlier this year the Economy Secretary announced the Welsh Government would invest £100m over ten years in an Automotive Technology Park in Blaenau Gwent with the  potential to create up to 1500 new full time jobs in one of Wales’ most deprived areas. 

The park is one of six strategic hubs identified in the Ministerial Taskforce for the South Wales Valleys’ high-level action plan, Our Valleys, Our Future, which was published in July. 

Speaking ahead of his latest visit to Ebbw Vale, he said:

“I am keen to progress our plans for a £100m  Technology Park as quickly as possible in order to secure high quality jobs and investment in Ebbw Vale and stimulate economic growth across the Heads of the Valleys.

“Today, I am pleased to announce that I have approved the necessary funding for the design and construction of a 50,000 sq ft industrial space in  Rhyd Y Blew in Ebbw Vale to kick start that  process. 

“Since I announced the Welsh Government’s  plans to establish the technology park, we have had a significant number of enquiries from automotive companies looking to move to Ebbw Vale, and I am confident that the development of this new facility will help us to start to meet demand in the market. 

“There is no doubt we are at a pivotal time for the automotive industry. I want the new Technology Park to become renowned as a centre for the development and application of next generation technologies for intelligent transportation. I’m  confident that the inclusion of elements such as a 5G test bed will help us achieve that. 

“This needs to be a project that can have an impact in both the near and the long term.  We need to retain our focus on  the here and the now, which also means focussing on jobs on the ground and the petrol engines that will be with us for some time to come, but it needs to built in a way that can capitalise on rapid changes happening in the automotive industry.  The park and our investment needs to be future proofed to develop and take advantage of the cleaner technologies of the future. 

“We need to be clever and collaborative in order to make the Technology Park a success which means leveraging in  funding from both private and public sectors, working constructively with our partners and investing in local skills. 

“Later today I look forward to meeting a group of Aspire apprentices working and training in and around  Ebbw Vale. Their skills, and the skills of other like them across the Heads of the Valleys will be key to the success of this technology park. We owe it to them and the region more widely to make it a success.” 

Chair of the Ebbw Vale Enterprise Zone  Board, Mark Langshaw said: 

“ We are pleased to welcome the Economy Secretary  to Ebbw Vale again to discuss plans for the £100m technology park. It is good see that work is progressing and that the Welsh Government   has committed to the construction of a  50,000 sq foot industrial building in Rhyd y Blew. We look forward to working with Welsh Government on this project to ensure that it delivers for the people of Blaenau Gwent and beyond.”

The Economy Secretary will co-chair another Ministerial Taskforce for the South Wales Valleys Taskforce public engagement event at Ebbw Vale Institute later today alongside fellow Taskforce Minister Alun Davies, where economic prosperity and opportunities to capitalise on the region’s natural environment will both be on the agenda.

The deal includes ensuring no cuts to the Supporting People grant; £15m to improve vital north and south links on the A487 and A470 and a £40m boost for mental health funding over 2 years.

There is an extra £20m-a-year for higher and further education and £6m for a young farmers’ grant scheme over 2 years.

There is additional funding for the Welsh language; for Wales to deal with the impact of Brexit, including support for businesses and for music in schools. The agreement builds on the one struck between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru last year.

It also includes:

• a £7m development fund for undergraduate medical training in North Wales
• £2m to remove the tolls on the Cleddau bridge in Pembrokeshire in 2019-20
• £3m to support the design and development of a third Menai bridge crossing
• a further £2m for the secretariat and investment support for a new ‘Arfor’ economic region in West Wales.

Welsh Government Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford said:

“We are pleased we have been able to agree this 2-year deal with Plaid Cymru, which secures the whole of our Budget.

“This agreement builds on the one reached between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru last year and includes a series of recurrent allocations for the Welsh language, arts, end-of-life-care, mental health, higher education and Visit Wales.

“We have also been able to agree capital funding to take forward the new integrated healthcare centre in Cardigan and the results of the feasibility studies into a national art gallery and football museum in North Wales, which were agreed as part of last year’s agreement.”

Adam Price, Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for finance, business and the economy, said:

“This is a Budget Agreement that will deliver for people and communities in all parts of Wales.

“It protects the vulnerable, invests in our young, and innovates for all our futures. This is a pan-Wales budget agreement, from the Cleddau to the Menai from Wrexham to the Rhondda, from culture to agriculture, from energy and transport to education and health – new ideas for a new Wales.”

Following positive and constructive discussions, begun by Wales TUC, the commitments mean Wales, its passengers and its rail staff can move ahead with confidence as the Welsh Government’s ambitious plans for the future Wales & Borders Rail Service gathers pace.

As a result of those discussions the First Minister has made the following commitments: 

• As a result of significantly increased service pattern, in response to demand growth experienced in Wales, the expectation is there will be more staff not less employed on the franchise. There are rapid changes in railway technology which can improve service and efficiency but the Welsh Government recognise that passengers value personal service and want this technology to complement staff and not replace them. 

• The Welsh Government wishes to improve safety, security, service and also accessibility for passengers who require assistance. The Welsh Government therefore commit to keep a safety critical conductor (guard) on all of the Wales & Borders trains and services including heavy rail Metro services and the trains will require this second person to operate. This commitment builds on a clear public response in our consultations, where over 90% of respondents said that a second member of staff was either quite important or essential in the Wales and Borders region, something Age Cymru said was ‘essential’. Disability Wales estimates that disabled people make up more than 20% of the population in Wales.

• Heavy rail infrastructure for the Wales & Borders franchise outside of core valleys will remain with Network Rail. 

• The exception to this will be the Core Valley lines where responsibility would transfer to the Welsh Government through Transport for Wales (TFW) subject to an agreed evaluation of the assets between Network Rail and the Welsh Government.

• Therefore the railway infrastructure will remain in public ownership and effected employees will also remain in the public sector with Network Rail or TFW. In the event of any transfer to TFW pensions will be protected and there will be no changes to conditions without the agreement of the trade unions. 

• Any new Rolling stock will be maintained by skilled railway people with the maximum number of staff employed in Wales. 

• The Welsh Government recognise the unions desire to maximise job security and conditions of employment of catering and cleaning staff and TFW will enter into constructive dialogue with the unions to explore how these can be met.

• The Welsh Government also commit to work constructively with the unions around unions aspirations for ticket office and station staff. 

• There will be a no compulsory redundancy guarantee throughout the franchise and in respect of direct sub-contractors. 

• There will be continued trade union recognition and the government will also work to ensure this also applies through the sub-contractor  supply chain. 

• There will be trade union representation on the Transport for Wales Board.

• If future legislation allows the Welsh Governments preference is for the heavy rail ownership and operation of the Wales & Borders services to be part of a UK national integrated railway under public ownership with responsibility and powers for passenger services and infrastructure to be sustainably and comprehensively devolved to the Welsh Government.

These commitments will underpin further detailed discussions between the trade unions and Transport For Wales officials. 

The First Minister said 

“Our hard working railway staff are a major asset in delivering a modern and safe railway and it is right that they are central to our ambitious plans for the new Wales & Border Services and South Wales Metro.

“I am therefore delighted that we have been able to have such positive and constructive discussions with the railway trade unions, something I have been keen to ensure from the offset.

“These are progressive commitments that will mean a better service for passengers and a better railway in Wales and I look forward to this positive dialogue continuing as we develop our plans.”

Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure Ken Skates added:

“I’m delighted that we have been able to make progress in issuing the tender and also that we have been able to make these commitments to passengers, rail unions and their members.  

“We want to hold up the Welsh rail network as an example of where a government can work in effective social partnership with trade unions to deliver a world class railway for commuters, our economy and our communities.”

Yesterday,  Abellio Rail Cymru, Arriva Rail Wales, KeolisAmey and MTR Corporation (Cymru) Ltd were invited by Welsh Government to submit final tenders for the next Wales and Borders Rail Service, which will come into force in October 2018.

The visit comes ahead of the launch of daily direct flights between Cardiff Airport and Doha next May and is aimed at helping  businesses capitalise on the trading and export opportunities presented by the new long-haul route. 

Featuring a diverse selection of Welsh companies including Teddington Engineered Solutions in Llanelli , the British Rototherm Company in  Port Talbot and food  producer  Rachel’s Dairy in Aberystwyth,  the visit will travel first to Qatar, and then to Kuwait , in an effort to help companies  forge new trading relationships with businesses operating in the Middle East  and ultimately increase Welsh exports. 

Speaking ahead of the export market visit , Economy Secretary Ken Skates said: 

“This Welsh Government led trade mission to Qatar and Kuwait is well timed coming ahead of the introduction of daily and direct flights between Cardiff Airport and Doha that will transform Wales’s relationship with the Middle East. 

“The new route will provide huge opportunities and as a Welsh Government we  want to do all we can to ensure that these  opportunities are capitalised on and turned into tangible economic benefits for Welsh companies.

“Exporting really does have the potential to transform a business and take it to the next level and as the UK prepares to leave the EU, increasing the value of Welsh exports to other markets across the world is more important than ever. 

“While Qatar is a relatively small county, it is one of the richest in the world with a growing population, and a profile that will only be heightened over the coming years.  

“Kuwait meanwhile, as the fifth richest country in the world, is another important market,  and I am keen for Welsh companies to develop their trade links with both countries ahead of the introduction of the new flights from Cardiff.”

One of the companies, AmniTec manufactures composite, fluoropolymer, and metallic industrial hose assemblies at its base in Merthyr Tydfil and supplies oil and gas, chemical processing, power generation, refrigeration, and other industrial markets. 

Jeff Sims, business development manager for Amnitec said: 

“The Middle East is an interesting market for us. We don’t currently have a distribution network for our products there and there is the potential indirect route to the oil, gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) end users that interests us. We are currently manufacturing LNG composites and very high temperature pressure hoses at our base in Wales. We want to promote awareness of our Wales-made products and are keen to find out if there are markets for these products in these countries. We also want to find business partnerships and distributors to stock our bulk hose & promote our high engineered bespoke hose products.”