2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:17 pm on 24 September 2019.

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Photo of Rebecca Evans Rebecca Evans Labour 3:17, 24 September 2019

Thank you very much, Nick Ramsay, and thank you for highlighting the importance of food festivals to communities and to small businesses, particularly, I think, within our food sector across Wales. I will ask the Minister to write to you with an update on our support for the food industry, but with a particular view to addressing the interest of celebrating local produce through festivals or other work as well.FootnoteLink

In terms of local infrastructure, I know that the Minister for economy and the Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport both have a strong interest in terms of how we can best engage with small businesses. The work we're doing on the foundational economy, for example, is really based on working with businesses right at the grass roots within local economies, but I'll ask them to explore whether or not there's more that we can be doing in that particular area.

And, on the climate emergency, when the Minister announced the climate emergency, she said that she wanted it to be a catalyst for action, so it's not just what Welsh Government can do—we can do a lot—but we can never address a climate emergency alone. And it was about giving inspiration to local councils, community councils, town councils and so on to be doing similarly within communities, but also to inspire individuals, as well, to explore what we could be doing differently in our own lives in terms of the context of the climate emergency. I know that it's something that is very much on the mind of all colleagues at the moment in terms of how we can ensure that the policies we're all pursuing very much reflect the climate emergency. But I will consider with colleagues how we can best have those discussions with local authorities to ensure that the kind of leadership that we want to provide is being felt at that local level.