3.163 The Welsh Government recognises the importance of constructive engagement on infrastructure issues between the UK Government and Devolved Administrations to share best practice and ensure decisions taken in areas of devolved, reserved or shared responsibility are appropriately aligned.
3.164 Since devolution, the Welsh Government has invested over £15 billion in economic and social infrastructure. This has enabled significant developments in transport, health and education infrastructure in particular, as well as support for new social housing, flood defences and waste facilities.
3.165 Looking forward, the Welsh Government is developing a Wales Infrastructure Investment Plan (WIIP) to ensure future investment is strategically prioritised to have maximum impact for Wales. The WIIP will support sustainable economic growth, considering not just present needs but also future capacity and maintenance requirements.
3.166 The WIIP will recognise the interdependencies and importance of social as well as physical infrastructure. It will initially cover the following sectors: Housing & Regeneration; Transport; Education; Health; Environment; and Economic Development. It will provide the framework and context for the delivery of our key strategic infrastructure:
• clarifying key infrastructure priorities in Wales and enable prioritisation between infrastructure sectors to optimise value for money in investment;
• providing a single point of reference for all strategic infrastructure activity and align funding solutions to identified priorities;
• positively encouraging the private sector to invest in Wales by providing greater clarity and certainty of our medium and longer-term investment priorities; and
• encouraging cross-sectoral collaboration and high standards of business assurance.
3.167 The first iteration of the WIIP will be published in spring 2012. After extensive public and private sector consultation, a more detailed second version will be published in the autumn of 2012.