31 March 2011 Last updated at 16:45

Wales issues guide: Economy

The Welsh Assembly Government has responsibility for economic development.

It includes state support for the private sector and boosting opportunities for business. This is an outline of Wales' four main parties' priorities for the economy.

• Overview
• Health/Social Services
• Education
• Rural
• Culture/Heritage
• Environment
• Economy
• Transport
• Finance
• Social Justice

Election issues 2011
Economy
Conservative	Labour	Liberal Democrats	Plaid Cymru
Abolish business rates for all small businesses across Wales. Create a government manufacturing strategy, aimed at safeguarding jobs and supporting the creation of new hi-tech businesses. New Business Partnership Council. A powerful new partnership would allow businesses to advise the government on economic policy.	Create a Welsh Jobs Fund to help young people into work. Foster a new relationship with the business community and social partners, led by the first minister. Build on strong links with large anchor companies and strengthen links with universities and other educational establishments. Progress work on a national infrastructure plan to provide vital infrastructure in Wales. Regenerate town centres through mixed-use planning policies. Implement new action on procurement to reduce barriers. Encourage apprenticeships and training opportunities.	Develop a Jobs and Growth Innovation Programme to include an increase in the number of patents, establishing business-mentoring schemes and upgrade old manufacturing sites for new jobs. Offer 5,000 training grants - worth £2,000 each - a year to new businesses that set up in Wales and take on young unemployed people. Freeze business rates for a year, introducing wide-ranging reforms of the business rates in the meantime. Cut red tape for businesses by introducing a 'one-in-one-out' rule. Establish a Welsh Stock Exchange to give Welsh businesses greater access to capital.	Support the creation of a new "Build for Wales" company to invest in schools, hospitals, housing and transport whilst creating up to 50,000 jobs. Create a multi-million pound growth fund for business and ensure more Welsh small and medium size enterprises win public sector contracts. Support 30,000 apprenticeships and develop a high value in-work training programme. Maintain the temporary business rate relief scheme until 2016, ensuring that around half of small businesses will continue to pay no business rates at all. Introduce next generation broadband to every business by 2015 and every home by 2020 and increase mobile and WiFi coverage.