:01:23. > :01:27.do the UK and Welsh government need to cooperate more closely to
:01:27. > :01:32.kick-start the Welsh economy? Choppy waters ahead for a coastal
:01:32. > :01:36.redevelopment for Jake that is promising hundreds of new jobs in
:01:36. > :01:45.Holyhead? And do you know what is about to be delivered through your
:01:45. > :01:55.letterbox? Bringing animals into the country in this fashion is dangerous
:01:55. > :01:55.
:01:55. > :02:03.to them and circumvents the order controls and our security. The Wales
:02:03. > :02:08.report. Good evening and welcome for the second of our special programmes
:02:08. > :02:15.from different locations across Wales. This evening we are by the
:02:15. > :02:18.seaside. Tonight we will be continuing our examination of the
:02:18. > :02:25.corner me to follow one from a special season of programmes which
:02:25. > :02:31.have been looking at the stories find the statistics. Businesses
:02:31. > :02:36.first up on our agenda. It has seven years since the Welsh development
:02:36. > :02:41.agency was scrapped. It attracted international companies and
:02:41. > :02:47.investment into Wales but what has happened since? Some say, not
:02:47. > :02:53.enough. We are asking at the UK and Welsh government is working closely
:02:53. > :03:01.together enough to bring money in and will business up? Our reporter
:03:02. > :03:06.has more. This office was regarded as a powerhouse. The driver of Welsh
:03:06. > :03:14.job creation. It was the headquarters of the Welsh
:03:14. > :03:19.development agency. Now it is empty. From 1976 to 2006 it was going to
:03:19. > :03:23.the Welsh development agency to promote international trade and
:03:23. > :03:30.support businesses right across Wales. It was acquiring goal and
:03:30. > :03:35.from what was its head waters here in Cardiff, it was able to use
:03:35. > :03:41.government money at arms length. It helped start-ups and to persuade
:03:41. > :03:46.multinationals to relocate here. But things are not like that any more.
:03:46. > :03:51.Now the strategy is completely different. The Welsh government have
:03:51. > :03:56.brought everything in-house. No politicians, civil servants and
:03:56. > :04:01.devious Welsh government agencies are behind financial support and
:04:01. > :04:07.encouraging business worldwide. For entrepreneurs like this man whose
:04:07. > :04:14.manufacturing firm is in Lenard and, not having a single high-profile
:04:14. > :04:18.dedicated trade body separate from the Welsh government is confusing.
:04:18. > :04:22.As a business person in South Wales I have no idea what the Welsh
:04:22. > :04:29.government is doing to help business at the moment. That should not be
:04:29. > :04:33.the case. It is frustrating when you do look back on supporting
:04:33. > :04:37.infrastructure that we have had previously. This is not about
:04:37. > :04:43.putting the begging bowl out asking for money, it is about the
:04:43. > :04:49.networking and contract. The whole infrastructure seems to have
:04:49. > :04:54.evaporated and made the whole process less transparent. At least
:04:54. > :04:58.when there was an organisation, it was not perfect but at least there
:04:58. > :05:05.was an organisation with some structure that you could navigate
:05:05. > :05:12.around if you wanted to get involved in something. In 2060 development
:05:12. > :05:19.agency marketed Wales around the globe but that stop. At the time
:05:19. > :05:25.crime goes became notable for wasting public money. This man
:05:25. > :05:32.acknowledges that for his tenure the Welsh development agency did have
:05:32. > :05:37.its problems but he flags up to relatively recent reports which have
:05:37. > :05:44.summed up the sens incompletely scrapping what was and apparently
:05:44. > :05:48.still is an important brand for Welsh businesses around the world.
:05:48. > :05:54.If you go around Wales and ask industrialists the general opinion
:05:54. > :05:59.is that the service we divided was far superior to that provided by the
:06:00. > :06:04.Welsh assembly government. The brand of wheels as the country doing
:06:04. > :06:12.business also disappeared. The minimum value of that brand was �50
:06:12. > :06:19.million. We were the best known brand in the Hall of Western Europe
:06:19. > :06:27.as bad as economic development went. In word investment took a
:06:27. > :06:33.nosedive after the devise -- demise of the Welsh development agency. It
:06:33. > :06:36.left us vulnerable when the global downturn hit. According to this man
:06:36. > :06:42.the emphasis is on eating opportunities for young people and
:06:42. > :06:52.helping indigenous dismisses to grow and making sure they had access to
:06:52. > :06:52.
:06:52. > :06:57.markets and finance. There was too much focus on foreign investment,
:06:57. > :07:02.satellite investment, investment that was going to clearly disappear
:07:02. > :07:07.with economic troubles. What we are focusing on now is nurturing
:07:07. > :07:16.home-grown companies, looking for companies that have the potential to
:07:16. > :07:19.be big economic leaders in the future. Business owners and leaders
:07:19. > :07:28.who spoke to our programme agree on one thing at least, there needs to
:07:28. > :07:33.be a strategic joint trip porch -- approach if Wales is to be a
:07:33. > :07:39.successful global player. For months the secretary of state for Wales and
:07:39. > :07:42.the first Minister have them telling us they would like the governments
:07:42. > :07:50.took what break more closely wherever it is appropriate.
:07:50. > :07:56.Encouraging enterprise would be a good base to start. These are
:07:56. > :07:59.sentiments echoed by this man who says it doesn't matter who deliver
:07:59. > :08:05.support so long as the advisers have it speedy and is, the system is
:08:05. > :08:13.simple, and both of and can help them access finance and roared
:08:13. > :08:19.full. In October we are attending a trade show in the US which is the
:08:19. > :08:24.largest in our sector. We are looking to put on an event at the UK
:08:24. > :08:26.embassy in Washington. That is the sort of thing the UK government,
:08:27. > :08:32.Welsh government and anybody involved would want to get involved
:08:32. > :08:37.in. I would have thought it would be all over us wanting to make this
:08:37. > :08:45.happen but it is not. It will be in spite of the infrastructure that is
:08:45. > :08:51.in place as opposed to because of it. Now I am joined by the secretary
:08:51. > :08:55.of state for wheels. Thank you for coming in. There was a time when you
:08:55. > :08:59.sat on an aeroplane almost anywhere else in the world and you would see
:09:00. > :09:04.in front of you on the screen and advert from the Welsh development
:09:04. > :09:14.agency extolling Welsh business and telling you it is a great place to
:09:14. > :09:16.
:09:16. > :09:20.come and work. Do you stall there demise? I do. I think a lot of
:09:20. > :09:25.business people and politicians in Wales do believe it was a bad step.
:09:25. > :09:30.I very much hope the Welsh government would think about
:09:30. > :09:36.replacing the WDA with a similar organisation run for business able
:09:36. > :09:41.by business Eagle. It was acquiring goal and toadies endeared the any
:09:42. > :09:49.are opposed to government crime goes, in that sense do you think it
:09:49. > :09:56.was such a bad thing to get rid of? -- Tories. I do. The Chief Executive
:09:56. > :10:00.of the all WDA announced his resignation on the day that Roger
:10:00. > :10:05.Morgan announced its closure. run by Islamist people who
:10:05. > :10:10.understood the needs of business. That is what is missing at the
:10:10. > :10:18.moment from the Welsh government was Mike development operation. They
:10:18. > :10:28.have not got that understanding to have an economic development
:10:28. > :10:31.
:10:31. > :10:37.programme and inward investment. So what has happened? We have gone from
:10:37. > :10:43.being the top one or two for investment to the bottom. There has
:10:43. > :10:53.been some reversal of that trend but overall the performance has been
:10:53. > :10:56.
:10:56. > :11:01.rather dismal. Do you talk to the first Minister about this?
:11:01. > :11:07.economy is top of my agenda and I hope it is top of his. I do talk to
:11:07. > :11:11.him. I cannot speak for the first Minister but what I would say is
:11:11. > :11:15.that we need to do a lot more between us because it has two be a
:11:15. > :11:23.joint effort to make wheels are more welcoming in word investment
:11:23. > :11:30.destination. I was raised the Welsh government agreed to have a
:11:30. > :11:34.significant improvement in the Welsh foreign investment. That will
:11:34. > :11:44.continue for a few more months yet. The sort of operation which we need
:11:44. > :11:45.
:11:45. > :11:52.is starting to hear fruit. -- bear fruit. You are supposed to be
:11:52. > :11:58.working together for the common good but how does that work in reality?
:11:58. > :12:05.We meet at least once a month and I speak to him on the phone. We can
:12:05. > :12:15.pick up the phone and speak to each other which we do regularly. Mostly
:12:15. > :12:17.it is arrangements between officials. Is this working?I
:12:17. > :12:22.believe it is. Since we started working closely with the Welsh
:12:22. > :12:32.economic develop and apartment we have seen a significant increase in
:12:32. > :12:32.
:12:32. > :12:40.the number of foreign direct investment objects in Wales. Let us
:12:40. > :12:46.take as an example the newly flawed for the M4. I have in pressing HM
:12:46. > :12:52.Treasury. We have made it clear in terms of broad infrastructure in
:12:53. > :12:59.Wales that the M4 relief road has two be top of the agenda. We have an
:12:59. > :13:03.announcement by the Chancellor coming up. We could do with a bit of
:13:03. > :13:11.good news, if you have got it topped up your sleeve shared it with us
:13:11. > :13:19.now. There is a time and ways for everything and with all due respect
:13:19. > :13:27.this programme is not the place for that. What about the cut from Wales
:13:27. > :13:35.to Westminster? That is the wheels of this is cut, it is not in respect
:13:35. > :13:38.of the Loch brand, that announcement has not made. We are expecting a
:13:38. > :13:47.major cut. How much have you in fighting in Cabinet to try to resist
:13:47. > :13:55.that? Health and education at alias that are rejected at Whitehall, they
:13:55. > :14:01.are for, the impact for wheels will be much less. They cut you are
:14:01. > :14:09.talking about is the cut in my offices spending on below. It is not
:14:09. > :14:19.a cut in respect of the Welsh bloke rant. Do you understand that? --
:14:19. > :14:20.
:14:20. > :14:26.Welsh block grant. You are talking about a substantial cut when we need
:14:27. > :14:30.we can get, how are you going to defend it? Since the last election
:14:30. > :14:40.wheels has done better than other Whitehall departments, it's spending
:14:40. > :14:41.
:14:41. > :14:49.has been protect it. There are those who have their heads in the hands
:14:49. > :14:54.wondering how they will cope. up to the Welsh government to decide
:14:54. > :15:01.how to distribute the local authority grant in Wales. Wheels has
:15:01. > :15:08.to be confined by spending reductions. So you are passing it
:15:08. > :15:17.down the line? That is not the case. Since the last spending review
:15:17. > :15:24.wheels has had six million pounds more. It is not because of the
:15:24. > :15:32.legacy from the last government. -- �600 million more. Wills has even
:15:32. > :15:42.protect it more than many departments. Jobs versus the
:15:42. > :15:53.
:15:53. > :16:01.environment is an age-old argument. There were joint forces to be
:16:01. > :16:05.developed the waterfront. There are also plans for Fishguard,
:16:05. > :16:09.Haverfordwest and Pembroke Dock. On Anglesey the Council gave the
:16:09. > :16:14.company the go-ahead to come up with detailed lands ROM sing hundreds of
:16:14. > :16:21.new jobs but it has not all been plain sailing since then. Far from
:16:21. > :16:31.it. As storm of local opposition has blown up and our reporter has even
:16:31. > :16:33.
:16:33. > :16:39.out to see, to find out why. This is the view that people get, the
:16:39. > :16:45.beach, the promenade and the green beyond. If the development goes
:16:45. > :16:52.ahead, it will be a very different scene with townhouses and apartments
:16:52. > :16:58.right along here. Out here, there will be a new marina for 500 boats.
:16:58. > :17:08.Those opposed say that if that happens, the jewel in the crown of
:17:08. > :17:17.
:17:17. > :17:19.same harbour, there is already one for 300 boats, hasn't filled the
:17:19. > :17:29.sales of those at the local sailing club.
:17:29. > :17:37.This club has been here since 1916, Pat is a long time. 108 years.
:17:37. > :17:41.the club go out of business? Yes, it could. The land bound aren't too
:17:42. > :17:46.happy either despite the promise of hundreds of jobs as well as 320
:17:46. > :17:52.townhouses and apartments, retail facilities, a maritime museum and
:17:52. > :17:57.workshops if the development goes ahead. Leading the local protest
:17:58. > :18:02.campaign is a couple who had planned to retire when they moved into their
:18:02. > :18:07.waterfront apartment overlooking the proposed development. Instead, they
:18:07. > :18:12.find themselves trying to chart their way through unfamiliar waters.
:18:12. > :18:18.It is a terrible thing to take away a natural piece of coast line from
:18:18. > :18:25.the people of Holyhead, in the way that is being intended. We feel it
:18:25. > :18:29.is wrong. This is our heritage, it is cultural and somewhere for the
:18:29. > :18:35.townfolk to enjoy the peaceful tranquillity of the only natural
:18:35. > :18:39.coast line available. The couple are the authors of a best selling book
:18:39. > :18:46.on stress management. Now they are experiencing their own very
:18:46. > :18:50.different kind of stress with accusations. A misconception is we
:18:50. > :18:57.are against all development. We are not. We are Ford of elements which
:18:57. > :19:02.is appropriate and suitable. Despite the fact that the development is in
:19:02. > :19:07.a conservation area, and is a departure from the development plan
:19:07. > :19:10.of the authority, the company has succeeded in persuading North
:19:10. > :19:20.Anglesey council to give outline planning permission for their
:19:20. > :19:21.
:19:21. > :19:25.ambitious plans. Councillors have succeeded in drumming up thousands
:19:26. > :19:29.of signatures against the plan. They have delivered it to the Welsh
:19:29. > :19:34.government who sent it straight back.
:19:34. > :19:43.This is an attack on the democratic process of development. We need to
:19:43. > :19:47.make sure local people are brought in at an early stage.
:19:47. > :19:53.The local Labour MP is for regeneration. But he too has his
:19:53. > :19:58.reservations. At this stage, the proposal is far
:19:58. > :20:04.too dense and large and out of sync. It can be redeveloped into a good
:20:05. > :20:10.project so people can be comfortable with it, local people will not be
:20:10. > :20:15.denied access. The local town council has been
:20:15. > :20:19.overwhelmingly supportive of the development. But cracks are
:20:19. > :20:26.appearing, at least one newly elected Independent councillor has
:20:26. > :20:30.consistently opposed the scheme. The lack of communication and dialogue
:20:30. > :20:35.has been appalling, from the town council, developers and county
:20:35. > :20:40.council. I am ashamed of our council for not
:20:40. > :20:47.communicating or taking any recognition of the 4000 people of
:20:47. > :20:51.Holyhead who opposed this. Those opposed to the development of
:20:51. > :20:57.vocal enough. Those behind the scheme are less visible. But there
:20:57. > :21:00.had to be a way of navigating their way to some kind of response from
:21:00. > :21:03.them. We did ask to speak to the chief
:21:03. > :21:08.executive of the investment company whose headquarters is based in
:21:08. > :21:15.London. The company said they were interested in doing an interview but
:21:15. > :21:19.not yet. It said they would get back to us.
:21:19. > :21:25.We also wanted to speak to a representative of the ferry company
:21:25. > :21:30.but it said there were no senior managers available. We eventually
:21:31. > :21:34.caught up with them, who gave a short statement. In which they
:21:34. > :21:38.described the development as a significant opportunity to help
:21:38. > :21:45.drive forward economic prosperity with the provision of what they call
:21:45. > :21:50.one of the most innovative marinas in the UK. But, what about the
:21:50. > :21:54.council who gave the developers outline planning permission 12
:21:54. > :22:01.months ago? Surely they would have something to say? The new leader of
:22:01. > :22:05.the council took office just a few weeks ago. Proclaiming
:22:05. > :22:09.optimistically that the authority could now look forward to the future
:22:09. > :22:13.with confidence. Not enough confidence, it seems, to stand
:22:13. > :22:18.before our camera and answer questions about the Holyhead
:22:18. > :22:23.waterfront project. Councillor Williams rang to apologise, saying
:22:23. > :22:27.he was trying to get up to speed with a million different things
:22:27. > :22:32.associated with his portfolio, and he did not feel he had enough
:22:32. > :22:37.background information to do what he calls a credible interview. The
:22:37. > :22:43.Holyhead project could prove to be the first big test for a council
:22:43. > :22:45.just back from the political sin bin, after a period under the
:22:45. > :22:52.control of Welsh government commissioners. A crucial element of
:22:52. > :22:56.the plan is the provision of jobs. Everyone agrees those are badly
:22:56. > :23:01.needed in Holyhead. But there are conflicting claims about how many
:23:01. > :23:08.and what kind of jobs the development will create. The company
:23:08. > :23:14.says it will provide work for 350 people. We hear the continuous cry
:23:14. > :23:19.of more jobs, something for the youth. We feel that is totally.
:23:19. > :23:26.Economy, the sort of jobs we are talking about are not the kind of
:23:26. > :23:31.jobs that Holyhead deserves. When it comes down to it, for a handful of
:23:31. > :23:36.jobs you will destroy an environment and I do not think that is a price
:23:36. > :23:41.we should pay. I don't think the people of Holyhead want that.
:23:41. > :23:45.understanding is, in light of the local authority planning
:23:45. > :23:49.requirements and the objections and representations of local protesters
:23:49. > :23:56.and politicians, the developers are revising their plans for the
:23:56. > :24:00.waterfront. There had to be local jobs had this to be acceptable to
:24:00. > :24:06.local people and planners. I want to see tourism and industry
:24:06. > :24:11.side-by-side. A key component of the development is control of the lease
:24:11. > :24:16.on the land needed for the project to go ahead. Currently it is in the
:24:16. > :24:22.hands of the council. But the council has authorised its officers
:24:22. > :24:27.to negotiate its surrender to the development company. If that
:24:27. > :24:33.happens, those opposed to the scheme fear it will be game over for the
:24:33. > :24:37.waterfront. Both supporters and objectors are now waiting to see
:24:37. > :24:43.what the developers put forward in support of their arguments for what
:24:43. > :24:47.could be one of the most important, if one of the most controversial
:24:47. > :24:56.regeneration schemes on the island. An island badly in need of some good
:24:57. > :25:02.economic news. Believe it or not, demand for exotic
:25:02. > :25:05.pets has increased significantly in Wales in recent years. Which has
:25:05. > :25:12.prompted concern that live animals brought from foreign websites are
:25:13. > :25:16.being sent through the regular post to avoid border controls. One of
:25:16. > :25:19.Britain's leading wildlife experts who works regularly with South Wales
:25:19. > :25:28.police to investigate wildlife crime has been looking into this issue for
:25:28. > :25:33.We live in an age of instant gratification but everything we once
:25:33. > :25:37.-- with everything we want at the push of a button. The Internet
:25:37. > :25:43.offers convenience and opportunity but that raises questions of
:25:43. > :25:48.personal responsibility which are not being addressed. Exotic pets are
:25:48. > :25:54.a case in point. More popular in Wales than ever before, spiders,
:25:54. > :25:58.lizards, are adorning our homes across the country. While these
:25:58. > :26:03.creatures hold a strong fascination, I am concerned about
:26:03. > :26:08.the ease with which they can be acquired. Does this make them akin
:26:08. > :26:14.to a new pair of trainers than a live and potentially dangerous
:26:14. > :26:19.animal that should be handled with respect and expertise. I keep many
:26:20. > :26:24.animals myself. They come into my care, often they have been neglected
:26:24. > :26:29.abandoned. Impulsive online purchases sent through the regular
:26:29. > :26:35.mail. Anybody who truly cares about such animals would make sure they
:26:35. > :26:41.were experienced -- were delivered with an experienced animal career
:26:41. > :26:46.with proper documentation and that correct facilities existed to
:26:46. > :26:52.maintain the welfare of this animal throughout its transit. There are
:26:53. > :26:59.dangers beyond the safety of the animal. Many online sellers are not
:26:59. > :27:03.under the same regulations as pet shops in the UK. This is one of the
:27:03. > :27:09.desert hairy scorpions kept in the UK as a pet. They're staying is
:27:09. > :27:16.mildly venomous. Like a hornet sting. They do get mistaken for the
:27:16. > :27:24.fat tailed scorpion. The difference is the difference between a
:27:24. > :27:31.relatively nasty sting, and an utterly deadly one. I work regularly
:27:31. > :27:34.with the South Wales police. I am at Cardiff University to discuss the
:27:34. > :27:39.implication of exotic animals being sent through the post. In your time
:27:39. > :27:44.serving, have you come across exotic animals sent through conventional
:27:44. > :27:52.post? Yes. We have had a number of
:27:52. > :27:57.instances in the last few years where either counter staff contact
:27:57. > :28:02.us having concerns about a certain package. Or, indeed, individuals who
:28:03. > :28:07.have received packages within the postal systems, and have concerns
:28:07. > :28:16.about what they have found. Surely this must be breaching some type of
:28:16. > :28:20.law legislation? I mean, it is a really good question. The actual
:28:20. > :28:27.offence of putting a creature in a box and sending it through the
:28:27. > :28:31.delivery system, there isn't one. The only thing it may breach is an
:28:31. > :28:41.individual or company policy. It is an area that I think needs looking
:28:41. > :28:50.
:28:50. > :28:54.into the country in this fashion is harmful to them, dangerous to us and
:28:54. > :29:01.it circumvents the security of our border controls. I love all sorts of
:29:01. > :29:04.animals but for me it is not the exotic which is interesting but
:29:04. > :29:12.their ability to adapt and excel in their own environment. That is why I
:29:12. > :29:21.find them attractive. If these purchases aren't made out of a
:29:21. > :29:27.genuine desire to learn, it may be resulting in a flagrant disregard of
:29:27. > :29:30.animal welfare. It must make us think of our response abilities as a
:29:30. > :29:35.society. Regulations are failing to keep up with the pace of change. The
:29:35. > :29:40.market is booming under the radar and the only thing keeping it in
:29:40. > :29:45.check is our own sense of personal responsibility. We have a real duty
:29:45. > :29:51.to treat these animals with the respect they deserve.