Concise Minutes - Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee

Meeting Venue:

Committee room 5 - Tŷ Hywel

and video conference via Zoom

Meeting date: Thursday, 18 December 2025

Meeting time: 09.32 - 13.02
This meeting can be viewed
on Senedd TV at:
http://senedd.tv/en/15805

Hybrid

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Attendance

Category	Names
Members of the Senedd:	Andrew RT Davies MS (Chair) Hannah Blythyn MS Alun Davies MS Luke Fletcher MS Samuel Kurtz MS Jenny Rathbone MS
Witnesses:	Jake Berriman, Powys County Council Professor Paul Boyle, Swansea University Brian Hughes, Energy Box Joshua Miles, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Professor Kevin Morgan, Cardiff University Lowri Owain, Cadwyn Clwyd Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Meirion Thomas, Industrial Communities Alliance
Committee Staff:	Robert Donovan (Clerk) Rachael Davies (Second Clerk) Nicole Haylor-Mott (Deputy Clerk) Elfyn Henderson (Researcher) Gareth David Thomas (Researcher)

<AI1>

1 Introductions, apologies, substitutions, and declarations of interest

1.1     The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

1.2     All Members were present at the meeting and no apologies were received.

</AI1>

<AI2>

2 Local Growth Fund: Panel 1

2.1    The Committee heard evidence from Meirion Thomas (Wales Director, Industrial Communities Alliance), Professor Kevin Morgan (Professor of Governance and Development - Cardiff University), and Professor Paul Boyle (Vice-Chancellor - Swansea University, representing Universities Wales).

2.2    Luke Fletcher MS declared an interest under SO 17.24A in relation to this panel.

</AI2>

<AI3>

3 Local Growth Fund: Panel 2

3.1    The Committee heard evidence from Councillor Jake Berriman (Leader of Powys County Council, and Chair of the Mid Wales Corporate Joint Committee), and Councillor Rob Stewart (Leader of Swansea Council, and Chair of the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee).

</AI3>

<AI4>

4 Local Growth Fund: Panel 3

4.1    The Committee heard evidence from Brian Hughes, (Founder, Energy Box), Joshua Miles (Head of Wales, FSB Wales), and Lowri Owain (Manager, Cadwyn Clwyd).

</AI4>

<AI5>

5 Papers to note

5.1    The Committee noted the papers.

</AI5>

<AI6>

5.1 Development of Tourism and Regulation of Visitor Accommodation (Wales) Bill: follow-up from the evidence session held on 13 November 2025

</AI6>

<AI7>

5.2 Development of Tourism and Regulation of Visitor Accommodation (Wales) Bill consultation: written evidence

</AI7>

<AI8>

5.3 The Biocidal Products (Data Protection Periods) (Amendment) Regulations 2025

</AI8>

<AI9>

5.4 Inter-Institutional Relations Agreement

</AI9>

<AI10>

5.5 EU-MERCOSUR Free Trade Agreement

</AI10>

<AI11>

5.6 Follow-up information from the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2026-27 scrutiny session held on 26 November 2026

</AI11>

<AI12>

6 Motion under Standing Order 17.42(ix) to resolve to exclude the public from the remainder of the meeting

6.1    The Committee agreed the motion to exclude the public from the remainder of the meeting.

</AI12>

<AI13>

7 Local Growth Fund: Consideration of evidence

7.1    The Committee considered the evidence received under items 2,3 and 4, and discussed their planned output from this short inquiry.

</AI13>

<AI14>

8 Food Processing: Consideration of Draft Report

8.1    The Committee reviewed and discussed the draft report, and agreed to its publication following some small drafting revisions.

</AI14>

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