Freeports: Wales

9. What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on establishing a freeport in Wales.

We reached an agreement with the Welsh Government earlier this year to collaborate on and deliver a new freeport in Wales, and this has received Cabinet agreement. We launched the bidding prospectus on 1 September, the closing date is 24 November, and we expect to announce the successful locations in spring next year.

I thank my hon. Friend for her answer and welcome her to her position.

Floating offshore wind represents a major new industrial opportunity across the whole of the UK, but especially for us in Wales. Does my hon. Friend agree that an innovative and collaborative freeport bid, along the lines of what Port Talbot and the port of Milford Haven are currently putting together, would help to unlock the full economic value and benefits of floating offshore wind for the whole of the south and west Wales region?

I thank my right hon. Friend for his question and for his passion and commitment to delivering a freeport. I know that he is a great champion for the Milford Haven bid in particular, and I look forward to sitting down with him to discuss it. The freeports programme has great potential to contribute towards achieving the Welsh and UK Governments’ decarbonisation agenda and net zero ambitions. We look forward to receiving strong bids from across Wales that demonstrate how they will meet the Government’s shared goals, as articulated in the bidding prospectus.

The Minister may not know, but I used to be a Swansea politician—I was a councillor. Is it not about time we introduced the Swansea barrage scheme, which would make a great difference to alternative energy for Wales?

I thank the hon. Member for his question. As he is a champion for Swansea as well as Huddersfield, I would certainly be happy to sit down with him and discuss this further.