Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales – in the Senedd at 1:43 pm on 27 January 2021.
Can I thank David Rowlands for his question and say that, first and foremost, this is an unprecedented crisis that we are facing globally? We have never faced such a pandemic in our lifetimes, and so the support that's required for businesses, of course, whilst it's been substantial indeed, goes no way to actually covering many of the additional costs and the loss of revenue that businesses would have experienced during the course of the pandemic. Most businesses want to be open, as I think all Members would recognise, rather than be forced to close due to lockdowns.
The plan for emerging from lockdowns is pretty clear in terms of where we need to be in regard to test positivity and infection rates. But, in the meantime, we stand ready to support every business during this period of lockdown to ensure that they can survive. Again, in regard to the Caerphilly area, there are some excellent examples of how the Welsh Government has supported businesses and secured jobs in recent months—businesses like Bergstrom, IG Doors, Hydro Sapa, MII Engineering. Between those, we've been able to grant award more than £1 million and secure the best part of 1,000 jobs. That's an impressive achievement for Caerphilly and demonstrates how, in every single part of Wales, the Welsh Government is stepping in to secure employment, to save people's prospects.