Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:20 pm on 29 September 2020.
I'm grateful to the Minister for his statement this afternoon. I particularly welcome, like others, the additional £60 million of support for businesses in the areas with special restrictions at the moment, and I know that is something that will be warmly welcomed in Blaenau Gwent. Can I ask the Minister to ensure that this additional support reaches small businesses particularly, and reaches people who are self-employed? I've been contacted by a number of businesses who are really very, very worried about the future, and they need this bridge to get them through these next few months to enable them to succeed in the future. Minister, could you also confirm that this is support for businesses who already comply with all their existing regulatory and legal responsibilities? We want to see a fair recovery from COVID, and we want to ensure that we play fair with businesses who are supporting the community already, and that the economic and social contract you've spoken about remains true as part of this additional support. And finally, Minister, you and I launched the Tech Valleys initiative some three years ago now in Ebbw Vale, to help provide significant investment into the local economy there. Can you confirm that the Welsh Government remains committed to that vision that we outlined some years ago, and that the Welsh Government will continue with that investment programme, through the COVID crisis, to ensure that we are able to continue to build an economic—to ensure that the economy of Blaenau Gwent continues to have this sort of investment that we require? Thank you.