Economic Growth in Cynon Valley

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:10 pm on 8 May 2018.

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Photo of Vikki Howells Vikki Howells Labour 2:10, 8 May 2018

Thank you, First Minister, and I agree with everything you said there. I recently visited Pontus Research, which is an award-winning aquaculture research and development business in my constituency, with a global client list. The company has done incredibly well, but they've now reached capacity and they need to grow. They've applied for funding from the European maritime and fisheries fund, but have been told that their application could take at least 120 days—that's 120 working days—just to process. This is preventing them from developing, from possibly securing match funding, from taking on new staff and thereby contributing to economic growth even further in my constituency. First Minister, will you look at how the EMFF is working in Wales to see whether improvements can be made to timescales so that other businesses like Pontus don't lose out?