6. Will the Minister make a statement on the effect of coronavirus on the economy in South Wales Central? OQ56184

Yes, of course. We'll do all that we possibly can do to make sure that businesses are able to recover from the pandemic and we'll continue to support jobs and our economy.

In South Wales Central, the latest restrictions fund has seen more than 4,700 businesses receive in excess of £15.5 million and the sector-specific fund has made 175 payments worth more than £1 million so far.

Thanks for that response. Minister, you will have heard the exchanges in the Chamber yesterday regarding Cardiff Airport, which has, of course, been badly hit by the pandemic. Now, the claim from the Welsh Government side seems to be that Bristol Airport is receiving grants from the UK Government, which is ignoring or neglecting Cardiff Airport. It may be that the UK Government has seen the many millions of public money that have been poured into Cardiff Airport since the Welsh Government took the decision to buy it, so they may take the view that Cardiff Airport has received more than enough public money via Cardiff Bay. Now, in terms of value for money, there has been a struggle to make a return on this public investment into Cardiff Airport. A lot of people in Wales, particularly in north Wales, see much taxpayers' money poured into Cardiff Airport with no real benefit to them. Has the Welsh Government put a limit on the amount of taxpayers' money that they're willing to set aside for Cardiff Airport, and do you think they should do that?

I'd first of all say that there's an odd rationale in Gareth Bennett's argument. He says that essentially, public money should be ploughed into privately owned airports, but public money from Westminster should not be invested in a publicly owned airport within Wales. My argument would be that actually, with most passenger airports globally having some form of public ownership, and some form of public support, it stands to reason that Cardiff international airport should be receiving a fair share of support from the UK Government, and the First Minister was absolutely right to compare the generous offer of support to Bristol Airport as a failure to support Cardiff international airport.

And with regard to sentiments towards Cardiff international airport in the north, it's a fact that Anglesey airport exists primarily on the basis of having that vitally important north-south air route provided, and therefore, Cardiff international airport does provide the existence of jobs and prosperity in a significant part of north Wales.

And I would again argue that it's not just the direct financial support that can be awarded to Cardiff Airport that will ensure its long-term survival—and hopefully in the future we'll see it thrive; there are other ways that UK Government could assist Cardiff international airport. We've outlined them on many occasions, and I hope that in the coming months we will see the UK Government respond positively, including, importantly, the devolution of air passenger duty, which could make a significant difference to Cardiff international.