Welsh Business Minister, Edwina Hart announced the creation of the first five enterprise zones serving different industries in September 2011. Yesterday, she outlined her plans to add Pembrokeshire and Gwynedd to the roster, and her plans to extend the St Athan zone in the Vale of Glamorgan to include Cardiff Airport.

Mrs Gillan said:

“The challenge to boost Wales’ economy requires a bold, multi-faceted approach in order to boost economic recovery and growth in Wales, so I am pleased to hear that the Welsh Government is to create these additional enterprise zones in Gwynedd and Pembrokeshire. I also welcome the extension of the Vale of Glamorgan’s enterprise zone, to include Cardiff airport. 

“Creating the right environment for businesses to be able to prosper is crucial.  I hope that these proposed enterprise zones will  give Welsh companies  the same competitive advantages as those across the border and I am glad to see the Welsh Government rising to the challenge.”

Other zones are to be set up at Anglesey, Ebbw Vale, Deeside, and Cardiff to support key industries around Wales.

Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan today [ 30^th January ] hosted Universities Minister David Willetts to the fifth meeting of the Wales Office’s Business Advisory Group, held at Gwydyr House in London.  

Mr Willetts joined Mrs. Gillan as well as members of the group representing Welsh businesses to discuss the work the Government is undertaking to promote growth through their Innovation and Research Strategy  for Growth . The group also met with David Davies of  ESTnet , to hear how the  award winning network are pioneering work with large  businesses in order to support smaller  local companies.

The Secretary of State also welcomed three new members to the group, including Helen Molyneux (New Law Solicitors), Emma Watkins (CBI) and Mark Woolfenden of Afonwen Laundry, winner of the 2011 Wales ‘Fast Growth 50’.

Mrs Gillan said: “Today has been a great opportunity to hear feedback from the ground to see how Welsh businesses are faring. Welsh businesses are operating in challenging times and in competitive global markets.  As we have seen in the last week, following announcements by Peacocks and Lloyds – we need more than ever to ensure we maintain close relations with businesses on the ground in Wales.

“One of the ways in which we can rejuvenate the market and to boost growth for businesses is to ensure there are plenty of opportunities for individuals and organisations to operate innovation and research programmes which can have a long term impact for the company and their abilities to invest and expand.  I was delighted to welcome my colleague, Minister of State for Universities, Skills and Technology, David Willetts here today who talked the group through some of the support and funding available for research and innovation in the UK. 

“The business environment in Wales has suffered two large losses in the last week with the news of Peacocks going into administration and job losses at Lloyds.  But even in these difficult times, there are encouraging signs.  Recent Labour Market Statistics showed that the employment rate increased by almost 1% (0.9%), and unemployment level fell by 1000.  Last week, I met with three Swansea-based companies who despite challenging trading conditions, are actually doing better than ever before.  Trojan Electronics, Mrs Bucket and MiSpace (part of Midas Group) showed guts, determination and a dynamism that showcased the kind of drive and skills that make Wales a great place to do businesses. This Government is taking the business of growth very seriously and with the range of measures currently in place, I have no doubt that we can expect many more of the success stories like the ones I witnessed in Swansea last week.”

Notes for Editors

• The UK Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth’ can be found at: http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/innovation/innovating-for-growth
• The strategy sets out how the Government can support innovation and research in the UK, in order to boost value and support growth.
• New policies include the co-financing of inducement (NESTA) prizes, Design support for the Designing Demand Programme, increasing take up of EU resources to support innovation, a joint fund with the Chinese Ministry and working with the devolved administrations to increase innovation in the agri-foods and utilities sectors.
• Estnet is an exclusive membership network of the Welsh Electronics Forum, consisting of a network representing one of the most dynamic sectors around the globe. The network advises that technology companies need to act rather than react, and collaborate rather than remain isolated, to ensure that they continue to build sustainable and competitive businesses.
• For more information, go to www.est.uk.net     
• Measures the Government is taking to boost growth include cutting corporation tax to the lowest rate in the G7, cutting red tape by scrapping regulations costing businesses over £350 million per year, reforming the planning system and boosting investment and exports to rebalance the economy by setting up Enterprise Zones and the Regional Growth Fund.

Wales Office Minister, David Jones has visited three North-Wales based companies making their mark in the manufacturing and engineering industries at home and overseas.

During his visit to Deeside, Mr Jones first met with Adrian Morris from PPA Group – a world leader in engineering for the aerospace industry. The company supplies a range of specialist interior and exterior parts for executive jets, as well as national and international carriers including Airbus and Raytheon Aircraft USA. It also manufactures and supplies parts for the automotive and marine sectors.

PPA currently employs 21 members of staff at its Deeside Industrial Estate business, and – with 26% growth recorded last year – the company is looking to expand further into overseas markets and looking to recruit further skilled staff to its roster over the next few months.

The Minister then met with Paul Williams, director of oil and gas component manufacturer, Specialised Machine Services (SMS) Ltd. Since it was established over 20 years ago, the company has grown to supply parts to oil and gas, power generation and medical industries from Norway to Angola.

SMS currently employs 22 employees at its Deeside Industrial Estate premises and is showing real resilience to the challenging economic environment with its strong order book.

Speaking after the visits, the Minister said:

“I believe the future of the manufacturing industry in Wales is very bright and I was delighted to have the opportunity to visit PPA and SMS today. It has become more evident that small and growing companies like these are turning out to be our most important job creators.

“I am pleased to see that Deeside is included in the Welsh Government’s plans for the Welsh enterprise zones. This should ensure that Welsh companies have the same competitive advantages as those across the border.

“The UK Government’s announcement last year that £57million of funding will be made available for improving broadband across Wales will also undoubtedly make a different to these companies’ aspirations for growth.

“I wish them every success in their efforts.”

As part of her continued commitment and support for business growth, the Secretary of State for Wales, Cheryl Gillan today (26 January) met with Swansea-based businesses that are making great strides in helping to drive the Welsh economy forward.

During the visit to the city, Mrs Gillan saw first hand how the private sector and entrepreneurs are playing a critical part in creating a stronger, more stable economic environment.

Mrs Gillan first met with Rachel Flanagan, a 24-year-old entrepreneur and director of cleaning company Mrs Bucket.

Ms Flanagan founded Mrs Bucket Cleaning Services at the age of 18, armed with only a vacuum cleaner and some flyers. Today, she employs 80 staff, has 110 domestic clients in Swansea, Llanelli and Port Talbot, over 90 commercial contracts spanning Saundersfoot to Newport, and is aiming to reach a turnover of more than £1m in the next six months. 

Ms Flanagan said: “We have worked very hard to gain very high standards from customer care and cleaning, in both commercial and domestic arenas. I know that 2012 will be a great year for myself, the team and my business.”

They met at the Swansea Vale premises of one of Mrs Bucket’s newly acquired contracts, Trojan Electronics. The rapidly expanding product repair and refurbishment company recently announced that it is set to create 60 new jobs in Swansea over the next 18 months, and secured a place on the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 list in 2010.

Following the visit, the Welsh Secretary then travelled to Swansea city centre and to the new £25million Urban Village development. Here she met with representatives from Mi-space who have undertaken the work on the project on behalf of Coastal Housing Association. The project has promoted community engagement through providing apprenticeship opportunities, work experience, educational visits and support for charities and local initiatives.

Alan Hope the Chief Executive of the Midas Group (Parent Company of Mi-space) said:

“We are proud to be the contractor on the Urban Village project which is one of the most significant regeneration schemes of its kind in Swansea for decades. Coastal Group’s bold vision as a client, combined with the well documented ‘multiplier effect’ of money spent in construction has created local jobs, sustained the local supply chain and produced a mixed use development that will help regenerate the city centre both now and in the future.”

Speaking after the visits, Mrs Gillan said:

“Creating long-term growth and long-term jobs is a key priority for us in Wales, and these businesses that I have met with today wholly embody that vision. 

“Rachael Flanagan is a truly inspirational woman. Her entrepreneurial spirit has allowed her to cultivate what was once a one-woman show into a highly successful and thriving company.  Her many awards and accolades are testament to her strong credentials as a businesswoman, and she deserves all the recognition that the business world is bestowing upon her. 

“It was also wonderful to meet with Trojan Electronics at their impressive new premises. They are playing a vital role in creating and sustaining jobs through the continued expansion of their company.

“I was hugely impressed to see how much of an impact the new Urban Village development has had on the regeneration of the city centre. It is a great example of how a business can really engage positively with the community through providing job and learning opportunities.

“There is no doubt that we are in difficult economic conditions. However, these businesses have rolled up their sleeves and have demonstrated that there is real scope to be entrepreneurial, to expand their existing offer and, more importantly, to create sustainable jobs in Wales. Their drive and determination is to be applauded.”

Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium will provide the backdrop to the women’s football tournament which kicks off on the 25 July, two days before the opening ceremony celebrations at the Olympic Park in London.

Mrs Gillan said: “It is really exciting the Olympics and Paralympic Games are now so close, it’s time to start planning your celebrations and getting involved, with lots of activity happening across Wales. The Games will provide a wonderful opportunity to showcase Wales and will also bring a wide range of economic, social and cultural benefits to our communities.”

•  The Olympic Torch Relay will be in Wales from Friday 25 May to Wednesday 30 May, visiting 81 communities, with   approximately 100 Torchbearers carrying the flame each day. Evening events will be hosted in Cardiff, Swansea, Aberystwyth and Bangor.

• Already Welsh companies have had an extremely important role in the construction of the Olympic Park.

• To date, 11 countries have signed agreements to train in Wales. In addition to this multi-sport paralympic teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have decided to carry out their immediate pre-games training in Wales.

• The Royal Mint is making 4,700 Olympic and Paralympic medals, and is a licencee to produce merchandise for Games.

• There are 85 community projects in Wales inspired by the 2012 Games.

There are tickets available for the Olympic Football Tournament until 6 February 2012, go to http://www.tickets.london2012.com/

The Wales Probation Trust has been chosen alongside Staffordshire & West Midlands to trial the programme with an aim to reduce reoffending rates in the UK. The approach is being taken as part of the UK government’s world-leading Payment by Results (PbR) programme.

Mr Jones said:

“I am very pleased that the Wales Probation Trust has been selected to drive forward such an important programme.

“They now have a unique opportunity to play an important part in re-shaping the criminal justice system. By building long and lasting relationships with our partners in the private, public and third sectors, we can harness the enthusiasm and exciting ideas that they have to help us to make significant reductions in the rates of reoffending by those serving community sentences.”

The Trusts will build partnerships with the private and voluntary sectors to help deliver frontline services across their communities for up to 2000 offenders. They will now be working closely with the Ministry of Justice and the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) to finalise the exact details of their approach.

The four-year pilots, beginning in 2013, will allow the government to test how current public sector providers can engage with the PbR approach with the aim of applying the principles of PbR to all providers by 2015.

The pilots will test a new risk transfer model, where the Trusts form an innovative commercial partnership with an external provider to deliver services.  This new delivery organisation will be rewarded if it achieves a reduction in reoffending, and will bear the risk of non-payment should it fail to meet its targets

By focusing on outcomes, the schemes will encourage providers to target their efforts where they can achieve the greatest success and encourage professional discretion in the management of offenders.

The Secretary of State for Wales Cheryl Gillan today [23^rd January] kicked off a week of celebrations to mark the 90^th anniversary of Urdd Gobaith Cymru. 

The Welsh Secretary and Minister David Jones welcomed members of the Urdd organisation’s youth forums from Myrddin and Ceredigion to Gwydyr House in London.  She met the organisation’s mascot ‘Mr Urdd’, before accompanying the party to Number 10 Downing Street.

Mrs Gillan said: “I was delighted to welcome members of the Myrddin and Ceredigion Urdd Youth Forums to Gwydyr House, to celebrate its milestone 90^th anniversary.  The organisation works so hard to raise the profile of young people in Wales.

“This summer, I will attend the Urdd Youth Theatre’s production ‘Sneb yn Becso Dam’, which will feature a crew of talented performers as part of the Olympics 2012’s Cultural Olympiad.  Thanks to the Urdd, generations of young people have had an opportunity to engage in a range of artistic and creative activities through the medium of Welsh. They have inspired an impressive alumni, with the likes of Bryn Terfel, Matthew Rhys, Cerys Matthews, Aaron Ramsey and Shane Williams having all been members. They have all paid tribute to the organisation as one which set them on the road to success.

“I would also like to pay tribute to the thousands of volunteers who work tirelessly in all parts of Wales to ensure that the legacy of the Urdd lives on and I wish the organisation many more years of success – long may it continue!”

The deal – which has been struck with German wind turbine developer, Nordex – has seen 45 new members of staff recruited to work at the £38m manufacturing facility in Chepstow. The contract will see 170 members of staff working full-time on the order.

Mrs Gillan said:

“This is not only excellent news for the economy in Wales, but for the UK’s renewables and manufacturing industries as a whole.

“The awarding of this contract is a clear demonstration of the confidence European countries continue to have in the talent, expertise and skills of our workers here in Wales.

“Moreover, this announcement provides us with the opportunity to show the rest of the world that Wales is really playing its part in securing the United Kingdom’s energy infrastructure for the future. I congratulate Mabey Bridge for securing such an important order.”

The latest statistics show that employment levels in Wales have increased and unemployment levels have decreased slightly.  The economic inactivity level and rates decreased significantly and the claimant count signalled that more people moved off Jobseekers Allowance than moved onto it. 

Mrs Gillan said: “This is encouraging news, but we need to bear in mind that this is a single set of figures and there is still a long way to go.  The task ahead of us is a great challenge, as the unemployment rate in Wales is still unacceptably high at 8.9% and there are still 130,000 people looking for work.

“This is the second month in a row in which more people are moving off Job Seekers allowance than went on to it which is welcome news.  We need to ensure there are ample conditions for growth, in order to ensure that there are real opportunities for the people of Wales to show what they can do. 

“I urge the Welsh Government to work with the UK Government, to help turn this single set of positive figures into a long-term upward trend. We know that we have the resources and the support available to make Wales a first class business destination, so it is up to all of us to work together to promote Welsh business opportunities and attract inward investment.”

Notes for Editors:

• The employment rate in Wales was 68.2%, an increase of 0.9% from the last quarter
• The unemployment rate was 8.9%, a fall on the last quarter of 0.1%, but is 0.5% higher than the same quarter of 2010
• The economic inactivity rate was 25.1%, a fall of 0.8% on the last quarter and a fall of 1.0% on the same quarter last year
• The Claimant count unemployment rate was 5.5% in December, unchanged from November 2011 and 0.5% higher when compared with last year.
• The Youth Claimant Count Unemployment level was 26,200, an increase of 3,000 on December 2010.
• The ILO (International Labour Organisation) unemployment is a count of those who are out of work and want a job, have actively sought work in the last 4 weeks and are available to start work in the nest two weeks; plus those who are out of work, have found a job and are waiting to start in the next 2 weeks. 

The Welsh Secretary, Cheryl Gillan underlined her commitment to the Welsh police forces today (16 January 2012) as she met with representatives from each force at Discovery House in Cardiff.

Carmel Napier, of Gwent Police, Peter Vaughan of South Wales Police and Ian Arundale of Dyfed Powys Police took the opportunity to outline the issues currently facing them and their communities. They were joined by Gareth Pritchard, Assistant Chief Constable of North Wales Police via video conference.

Following the meeting, the Welsh Secretary was presented with the badges of each of the forces in attendance to highlight the strong relationship that continues to be forged between them.

Mrs Gillan said: “These regular meetings with our Chief Constables are invaluable as they give me a real insight into the problems they face, as well as the successes they have had in keeping the community safe.

“Our four police forces do a fantastic job in tackling crime and disorder, and I want to ensure that we continue to work closely together so I am able to hear firsthand about the issues concerning them and what can be addressed by the government.

“The badges will be displayed on the wall in the entrance of Gwydyr House so that all visitors will see our proud connection to the Welsh police forces.”