Ken Skates: I'd say to the Member that we are acutely aware of the difficulties facing wedding venues, and I'd refer the Member to comments made by the finance Minister, the business Minister, just earlier. But I would also say to the Member that, as a direct result of having a Welsh Government, and having a Wales-only economic resilience fund, tens of millions of pounds—approximately £55 million, to...
Ken Skates: We're doing everything possible to support businesses as they gradually reopen. We're providing comprehensive advice, guidance and support through our Business Wales service and the Welsh Government website. We've also supported almost 2,000 north Wales businesses through the first round of our economic resilience fund, totalling more than £33 million.
Ken Skates: Well, I'd agree with the Member entirely, and the finance Minister has spoken on numerous occasions now about how we would be able to potentially do more if we had additional powers over borrowing and greater scope to intervene. I think what coronavirus has demonstrated is that the Welsh Government, even with its limited financial resources, has been able to make a huge difference to...
Ken Skates: Can I thank Helen Mary Jones and say that we are certainly open to considering a hardship fund? It will be dependent on our assessment of the economic resilience fund, the latest phase of that particular intervention, but also it will be dependent on the UK Government's response to the UK Treasury select committee's recommendations, which concern the gaps that have been exposed through UK...
Ken Skates: Yes, I'll commit to doing just that. We wish to ensure that local authorities can make timely decisions and make appropriate changes to the public realm to enable businesses to operate in a viable way, even during these incredibly difficult times. And I can assure the Member that we hope to be able to enable businesses within the hospitality sector to open indoors from 3 August, provided we...
Ken Skates: Can I thank the Member and assure him that there are dozens of guidance documents now available on the Government website? They are available for different types of workplaces. They are available for employers as well as for citizens, particularly for passengers on public transport. We've attempted to make the guidance as clear and as comprehensive as possible, and it is fully accessible to...
Ken Skates: Can I thank Russell George for those questions? First of all, as to the tax level before we decided to increase the threshold, the threshold was the highest in any part of the UK, benefiting thousands of people who were purchasing properties who would not receive the same sort of support across the border in England or elsewhere in the United Kingdom. The decision that was announced by the...
Ken Skates: I'd like to thank the Member for his question, and if I can just say, first of all, that our more cautious approach in Wales has led to, as the First Minister has recently said, a positivity rate of just 0.25 per cent for all of those tests that are currently taking place. Compare that to Blackburn, where the rate is 7 per cent, 28 times higher. I'd ask any business in Wales, 'Would you...
Ken Skates: Can I thank Jack Sargeant for his question and restate my commitment to the apprenticeship programme? I'm pleased to say that we have one of the highest success rates anywhere in Europe concerning our apprenticeship provision in terms of apprentices going on to secure sustainable employment. That demonstrates the value of our system. We have not watered down or devalued the apprenticeship...
Ken Skates: Well, we're doing all we can to ensure that apprentices continue through their frameworks, even in these incredibly difficult times, and, if I can use one example, I'd point to Airbus, where we've been able to ensure that the apprenticeship scheme continues as planned, although, of course, start dates have been staggered due to reduced class sizes. But, we're also looking at a funding package...
Ken Skates: Well, can I thank Suzy Davies for her question and say that apprenticeship providers have been supported throughout the March to July period on the basis of average payments? Providers have developed, I'm pleased to say, online learning modules to ensure apprentices are able to continue to progress through their learning. We've also worked with learning providers and stakeholders to develop a...
Ken Skates: Can I thank Jayne Bryant for her question? First of all, in terms of air quality, it's a fact that air pollution is the largest environmental threat to public health in Newport and, indeed, beyond, and we'll be publishing our clean air plan for Wales very soon. The south-east Wales transport commission will be publishing their next report tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to reading that...
Ken Skates: Well, can I thank Laura Anne Jones for her question and welcome her to the Senedd? It's a pleasure to see her and to accept her first question regarding transport. I can assure the Member that we are awaiting the cheque from the Prime Minister—that £2 billion. When we receive it, we will spend it on transport infrastructure, making good the historic underinvestment, in particular on rail...
Ken Skates: Well, I can assure the Member of the latter and I feel that it was nothing more than a political stunt. If the Prime Minister really does have £2 billion to spend on Welsh infrastructure, then he's welcome to do so and to do so swiftly; spending that money on rail infrastructure in the south, in mid Wales and in north Wales, making sure that we see electrified main lines, making sure that we...
Ken Skates: Yes, of course. We've accepted the first round of recommendations from the South East Wales Transport Commission and we're now undertaking the relevant statutory procedures to implement them. We also look forward to receiving further recommendations from the commission this year.
Ken Skates: Transport to the new Grange university hospital has been integral to the planning of that site from the very beginning. We want to make sure that patients, relatives and staff from the whole of the catchment area are able to find their way in a timely fashion.
Ken Skates: Our £1.7 billion business support package, which is equivalent to 2.6 per cent of our gross value added, complements other UK schemes and means that companies in Wales have access to the most generous offer of help anywhere in the UK. More than 60,000 businesses across Wales have also received grants from the business rates scheme, worth almost £730 million. Many of these will be in the...
Ken Skates: I find the question from Andrew R.T. Davies to be somewhat unbelievable. Your energy should be used in directing the Prime Minister to intervene personally and immediately to secure the Ineos factory for Wales. You have not had a conversation with the chief executive officer of the company; I have. I know the reasons why they have decided not to proceed with Wales and with Portugal as centres...
Ken Skates: Can I agree entirely with Huw Irranca-Davies and say that his anger and disappointment is shared across Welsh Government? As I said in my answer to the former First Minister Carwyn Jones, the Defender was an iconic piece of British automotive history, and the fact that it was returning, albeit with a different name and different guise, was celebrated by the automotive press, by automotive...
Ken Skates: Can I thank Helen Mary Jones for her questions? I will most certainly keep Members updated on any developments. We are keeping communications open, of course, with Ineos. But in order to turn that decision around, I think it would require direct contributions from the Prime Minister, given how close the Prime Minister and his colleagues are to the person that owns Ineos. I'm sure that the...
