Question to the Wales Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact and allocation of the funds budgeted to support those who lose their jobs as a result of the transformation of Port Talbot.

The Tata Steel/Port Talbot Transition Board, chaired by the Secretary of State for Wales, supports those affected by Tata Steel UK’s decarbonisation transition and is supported by £100 million of funding. £80 million of which is provided by the UK Government, as confirmed by the Chancellor in the Budget on 30 October, and the remaining £20 million is provided by Tata Steel UK. The joint investment by UK Government and Tata Steel UK of £1.3 billion in an Electric Arc Furnace at Port Talbot has helped to protect 5,000 jobs and many more within the supply chain.

The Transition Board, in under a year, allocated the full UK Government £80 million funding to help those people and businesses affected by the transition, and to regenerate the local area. The UK Government Funds have created:

• The Supply Chain Transition Fund, to help businesses adapt to new markets.

• The Employment and Skills Fund, to help individuals re-train and find new well-paid jobs.

• The Business Start-Up Fund, to help people affected start new businesses.

• The Business Growth and Resilience Funds to help businesses reliant on Tata Steel UK but not in the supply chain, such as shops and cafes, adapt to the changes.

• Mental health and wellbeing support, to provide additional help to those affected.

• Regeneration projects, to create new business space for local businesses; to help remediate land and flood mitigation for the creation of an innovation centre in Port Talbot; and to create a skills centre for future green skills in green energy.

• An Economic Growth and Investment Fund is in development, to attract inward investment into Port Talbot, to create new, well-paid jobs for those affected by job losses.

The Transition Board receives updates on the impact of the funds at every Board meeting, containing data provided by delivery partners, such as Neath Port Talbot Council and Business Wales. The Transition Board last met on 26 June, and the following progress was reported up until that date:

• The Employment and Skills Fund: more than 2,800 training courses and qualifications have been funded so far.
• The Supply Chain Fund: 240 jobs have been safeguarded, and 26 new jobs have been created so far.
• The Resilience and Growth Funds: a total of 192 enquiries for support have been received so far.
• The Business Start-Up Fund: 12 new business have been created.

Funding for growth and regeneration projects in Port Talbot have also been funded by the Transition Board:

• On 6 February, the Secretary of State for Wales announced over £8m of the Transition Board funding to support the South Wales Industrial Transition from Carbon Hub project. This will redevelop a four-acre site at Harbourside, Port Talbot which will include the construction of additional shared space, undertake flood mitigation and the provision of specialist equipment. This investment will help establish an Innovation District in Port Talbot. This will support more than 100 jobs and bring an estimated £87.7 million in GVA benefits to the local economy.

• Three additional growth and regeneration projects were announced by the Secretary of State for Wales on 22 May, which committed over £20m for the creation of an Advanced Manufacturing Production Facility (AMPF) and National Net Zero Skills Centre of Excellence; and for the redevelopment of Metal Box and Sandfields Business Centre. These two projects will support over 270 jobs, and bring an estimated £119 million in GVA benefits to the local economy.

The growth and regeneration projects will also create construction jobs during the building, refurbishment and remediation phases.