The First Minister and Deputy First Minister have welcomed the news that the UK has moved out of recession and said that the Welsh Assembly Government will continue to provide support to individuals and businesses still facing difficulties.
First Minister Carwyn Jones said:
“It is encouraging that latest figures show that the UK has moved out of recession and this is of course to be welcomed. However, we are clearly aware that many individuals and businesses will still be facing challenges and we will continue to do what we can to help.
“We have said all along that we would do what is necessary to keep the recession as short as possible.
“We did not wait for the UK to officially enter recession on the 23rd January last year before taking action. Clearly we were aware of the difficulties companies were facing and we convened the first of our all-Wales economic summits in October 2008.
“These summits, and other initiatives such as ProAct and ReAct, have been praised as innovative and proof of our ability to act quickly and in collaboration with the private sector, trades unions and other public sector organisations.
“We will now continue to build on this collaborative approach and move ahead with our plans to ensure the Welsh economy emerges from recession stronger and more sustainable.”
Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones said:
“Throughout the past few months we have also focussed on positioning Wales to take advantage of the economic upturn.
“The news today is encouraging but just as Wales felt the effects of the economic downturn for sometime before the recession began, so we will continue to feel its impact after it has ended.
“We will continue to do all in power to help those who are adversely affected. We have acted quickly and effectively as a government to help Wales through the recession and our efforts now will be focused on building for the future.
“Work has already begun on the Economic Renewal Programme which is aimed at putting the right measures in place to create a stronger, more sustainable Welsh economy. This will require all of us working together – from business and industry to unions and academia, from workers to commentators and members of the National Assembly.
“I appreciate the commitment already made by so many people who have pledged to play their part. We must position the Welsh economy in such a way that it can compete more effectively in high value markets through developing the right skills for our workforce and to encourage world-class research and development.”
