Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 1:52 pm on 26 August 2020.
Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, as we approach the end of this month, the UK Government's Eat Out to Help Out scheme will finish, a scheme that has been universally welcomed by the hospitality industry and has helped support businesses and keep businesses afloat across Wales over the past few weeks. Of course, as we enter the autumn and winter months, it's crucial that there is still support for hospitality businesses across Wales, particularly as many will face reduced sales as families return to work and children return to school. First Minister, the Welsh hospitality industry may well struggle and have to consider taking difficult decisions, and its workers may face the very real possibility of redundancy.
We already know from the Welsh Government's latest survey that two thirds of tourism businesses still have staff on furlough, and that half of businesses are still not operating at full capacity. Indeed, the industry is not helped by Welsh Government Ministers telling people that some traditional socialising should be a thing of the past, at a time when so many businesses and jobs are reliant on customers coming through their doors. Therefore, First Minister, can you tell us what strategy the Welsh Government has for specifically supporting the Welsh hospitality industry over the short and, indeed, the medium term? And can you tell us what additional funding will be made available to the hospitality sector to help support businesses and jobs over the next few months?