Question to the Wales Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the Swansea Bay City Region City Deal, how much has been spent to date by (1) the UK Government, and (2) the Welsh Government; how many new jobs have been created; and which sectors and local authority areas those jobs are in.

The UK Government is working in full partnership with the Welsh Government to co-invest in the delivery of four City and Regional Growth Deals across Wales. The Swansea Bay City Deal was agreed in 2017 by the UK Government, Welsh Government and the four local authorities in South West Wales. The Swansea Bay Deal represents a total investment of £1.3billion comprising nine headline programmes, and over 36 projects focused on economic acceleration, life sciences, energy, smart manufacturing and digital innovation. To date, the Deal has invested £537 million.

The Deal aims to deliver key economic and social benefits across the South West Wales region over a 15-year period whilst leveraging an anticipated £642 million from private sector investment. The UK Government has committed £115.6 million to support the Deal’s delivery with the Welsh Government contributing £125.4 million. An additional £396 million has been committed by other public sector and local authority contributions.

The City and Growth Deals invest in large-scale capital investments, which by nature take longer to deliver employment outcomes. As capital investments near completion, there will be an acceleration in job creation in line with projected outcomes. For example, the opening of 71/72 Kingsway in Swansea earlier this year and phase one of Pentre Awel (Llanelli) due to open soon.

To date, the Swansea Bay City Deal to date has created a total of 912 jobs across the four local authorities in sectors such as:

• Life Sciences
• Creative Industries
• Energy
• Smart Manufacturing
• Digital Infrastructure

The UK Government’s investment and collaboration with the Welsh Government has kickstarted sustained economic growth in the Swansea Bay region and will continue to unlock new opportunities for people and businesses across the region.