Support for Business

Part of 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:12 pm on 18 March 2020.

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Photo of Andrew RT Davies Andrew RT Davies Conservative 3:12, 18 March 2020

I fail to see, Minister, how the Welsh Government could have described the financial package that has been put in place to date as 'wholly inadequate'. Across this Chamber yesterday, Members stood shoulder to shoulder in the face of this virus that is going on. Four hundred and thirty billion pounds has been injected into the economy and will be injected into the economy—15 per cent of gross domestic product, that is. Not 1.5 per cent, not 5 per cent, but 15 per cent of GDP, that is.

And only—[Interruption.] Only yesterday, I pointed two things out to you, Minister: (1), in your statement, you didn't highlight the £100 billion of extra borrowing that the Chancellor had injected at the budget last week, and the Government was standing by 80 per cent of the loans that were underwritten by that £100 billion. Secondly, I asked you specifically around the resources of Business Wales—whether they'd be able to deal with queries. That wasn't a criticism; that was trying to seek reassurance, given the tidal wave of queries—and rightly so—that will be coming forward from business.

Only today, we have heard from my own spokesman here saying that messaging on the system is still failing to address these concerns, and people are frustrated, to say the least, and angry at worst. Can you give us reassurance that the resources are being made available? You have alluded to that fact, but can you give us an idea of how much more resource has been released to Business Wales in the number of operators that will be available and the type of information they will be able to give to businesses who are questioning, and legitimately questioning, where they need to go to seek this help? I appreciate it is a crisis we are in, but, if you are pointing people in a direction, we need to point them in the right direction to seek the support they can get.

I would implore you, when you do put the press releases out, you put press releases out that are accurate. The press release that went out about the UK Government's financial aid last night was completely inaccurate from the Welsh Government.