Deputy First Minister speaks at Hugh James Exchange
Deputy
first minister targets infrastructure as
fundamental
element of
Wales' economic renewal
14 I 10 I 10
Deputy First Minister
Ieuan Wyn Jones has addressed one of the hottest topics of the
moment – Economic Renewal – at Wales’ premier business networking
event.
Speaking at the Hugh
James Exchange at Cardiff’s Hilton Hotel, the Deputy First Minister
and Minister for the Economy and Transport set out his view that
Wales’s private sector is too small and needs to grow. Mr
Jones said there was a need for the Assembly Government to improve
the conditions in which all business operates by broadening and
bettering the infrastructure in Wales, particularly in terms of
skills, transport and broadband.
The Deputy First Minister
also called on representatives of the private sector to work with
the Assembly Government to help them deliver on the economic
strategy, praising the willingness of many firms to engage with his
proposal to create a private sector panel of business experts.
Outlining the Assembly
Government’s strategy for leading Wales out of recession, Mr Jones
highlighted the plan to target six core sectors including the
creative industries and said that he should be judged on
delivery. Mr Jones also said that financial support from the
Assembly Government for businesses will play a smaller role in a
strategic approach that will aim to benefit all businesses, rather
than the select few which had previously benefited from grant
funding.
As well as the keynote speech by the Deputy
First Minister, an animated panel discussion took place, with
panellists including three of Wales’ leading business players –
· David Stevens,
Chief Operating Officer, Admiral
· Professor Dylan
Jones Evans, Professor of Enterprise and Innovation, University of
Wales
· David Davies, MD
of Axiom Manufacturing Services
The topic of Economic
Renewal proved to create a lively debate at a time when the
Assembly Government is preparing for one of the toughest spending
rounds in recent history. Alongside other economic issues of
the moment - including this week’s Browne review on tuition fees
for Higher Education and the ongoing talks regarding the closure of
the Newport Passport Office – the expert examination of Economic
Renewal resulted in an interesting evening for the business
audience.
A lively Question and
Answer session from the 200 strong audience of business
professionals also took place. Questions asked by the
audience ranged from whether Cardiff should take a more prominent
role in driving the economy of Wales as a whole to how we should be
marketing / branding Wales on an international level.
The overriding view of
Wales’ economic renewal was that the basis for future economic
drive should be investment in research and development, with more
focus on growing the skills base of workers in Wales. This
led to a challenge from Professor Dylan Jones Evans to the Deputy
First Minister to follow through in the commitment to innovation by
making immediate representations for research and development
funding to be devolved to Wales. The Deputy First Minister was keen
to stress that the success of his policy would lie in the
implementation stage.
Gareth Williams, senior
partner at Hugh James, said:
“The Hugh James Exchange
is now one of the main events in the Cardiff Business Calendar.
Last night’s event was arguably the most successful to date,
attracting business leaders from across Wales and beyond. We were
delighted that the Deputy First Minister's address provoked such a
vigorous debate amongst our distinguished panel and audience. In
the next few weeks we expect to finalise arrangements for our next
Exchange at which a high profile speaker will address another
pressing issue."