Will the First Minister confirm whether the Welsh Government provided financial support to the International Conference Centre and if so, how much financial support was provided?
It was agreed in 2017 that the Welsh Ministers should enter into a Joint Venture with The Celtic Manor Resort Ltd, for the purpose of constructing and operating the new International Convention Centre Wales. In doing so the Welsh Ministers acquired 50% of the shares in the company. The total investment by Welsh Government of £20,986,470, will be recovered in full when Welsh Government disposes of its shareholding.
This is a commercial activity and whilst no formal conditions relating to the Welsh language were attached to the investment, we have encouraged the company to incorporate the language positively into the Centre’s identity. To that end the company has held a positive meeting with officials from the office of the Welsh language Commissioner, together with Welsh Government officials, to seek guidance on how best to incorporate Welsh within the building and into their communications within Wales. As a result, it is anticipated that the company will now draft and implement a Welsh language policy.