Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at 1:54 pm on 13 June 2018.

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Photo of Lesley Griffiths Lesley Griffiths Labour 1:54, 13 June 2018

Thank you. I'm very happy to be working on this scheme alongside Simon Thomas. The expressions of interest—the window actually closed yesterday. I am keeping a very close eye on it. I actually attended the second meeting of the young people in agriculture forum, where, I'm sure you can understand, I was questioned in great detail about this scheme. As you said, there's £6 million being made available. I'm really keen to make sure that we target the funding where we're going to have the greatest impact. As you say, it's about making sure we've got the next young leaders, so we're going to offer them—. Alongside other advantages of the scheme, we're going to work with them, in respect of the agricultural forum, to make sure that they have access to myself and to my officials. I think a couple of them are shadowing me at the Royal Welsh Show. It is about making sure that we encourage them going forward. As you know, the funding's going to be offered in the form of working capital, and again, that will offer the new entrants that flexibility with their business.