Welsh secretary Cheryl Gillan has welcomed confirmation from first minister Carwyn Jones that he believes Wales should have enterprise zones.
She told the Commons that the £65m increased provision for the Welsh Assembly Government in the Budget included £10m for Barnett consequentials for enterprise zone expenditure and £20m for small business rate relief consequentials.
"Having zones in Wales will provide a much needed boost to business and make Wales more attractive to investors," she said.
"I have been concerned about the position of Wales and enterprise zones from the minute that they were announced for England not least because we have announced that there will be enterprise zones at Bristol and Merseyside. I am concerned that the enterprise zones on the English side of the border will affect inward investment into Wales, which is why I encouraged the Welsh Government to engage with us so that we can establish mechanisms that do not allow those two enterprise zones, which are so close to Wales, to suck business out of Wales."
