Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:38 pm on 3 November 2020.
Well, Llywydd, the Welsh Government provides the most generous package of support for businesses of anywhere in the United Kingdom. Does that mean that we have been able to meet every impact of coronavirus on every business in Wales? Well, of course not, because these are extraordinary times, with extraordinary challenges being faced by businesses here in Wales. What I can tell the Member is that, during phase 1 of our economic resilience fund—a £500 million fund—a total of nearly 7,000 grants were made to microbusinesses, totalling nearly £125 million. In phase 2, another 5,000 grants, totalling over £58 million. And, in phase 3, when our eligibility checker went live on 19 October, nearly 160,000 users explored the help that was available to them through the Welsh Government. Now, we would like to do more, and it will be good when we are in possession of the full facts, both of the furlough scheme and of help that will come to Wales because of changes in assistance to businesses in England. I'm sure the Member looks forward to urging his Government, even though he is apparently no longer a supporter of it, to make sure that we get everything we need here in Wales.