"Public purchasing in Wales is worth about £4.5bn per year - which is well over 10% of the Welsh economy," he said. "We've got to see if we can find measures where the proportion given to business goes beyond a half, maybe towards two thirds over the next few years."
Rhodri Morgan, Sky News, October 16th 2008
"The budget for economic development within the National Assembly (and the grants that follow) pales into insignificance when compared to the £4 billion (or 11 per cent of GDP) that the public sector spends annually on purchasing goods and services in Wales.As in the case of giving grants to large foreign investors, our civil servants and public agency executives seem to be more impressed with suits from over the border than in the abilities and capabilities of Welsh firms. As a result, we are losing out on a crucial opportunity to use public funding to build up high value added businesses and industries within Wales. Only 30 per cent of the goods and services procured by the Welsh public sector goes to local firms.Imagine if we could increase that to 50 per cent – that would mean that at least £800 million of additional funding per annum would go into the Welsh private sector, dwarfing the £30 million given in RSA and AIG grants to Welsh firms last year."
Dylan Jones-Evans' blog, May 31st 2006
Rhodri Morgan, Sky News, October 16th 2008
"The budget for economic development within the National Assembly (and the grants that follow) pales into insignificance when compared to the £4 billion (or 11 per cent of GDP) that the public sector spends annually on purchasing goods and services in Wales.As in the case of giving grants to large foreign investors, our civil servants and public agency executives seem to be more impressed with suits from over the border than in the abilities and capabilities of Welsh firms. As a result, we are losing out on a crucial opportunity to use public funding to build up high value added businesses and industries within Wales. Only 30 per cent of the goods and services procured by the Welsh public sector goes to local firms.Imagine if we could increase that to 50 per cent – that would mean that at least £800 million of additional funding per annum would go into the Welsh private sector, dwarfing the £30 million given in RSA and AIG grants to Welsh firms last year."
Dylan Jones-Evans' blog, May 31st 2006
Comments
More, importantly, I hope it will help banish the perception that all Conservatives have the same negative attitudes towards devolution.