Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:31 pm on 2 February 2021.
Thank you for that answer. Obviously, the sector understands the need to reopen safely, but this is the time of the year when they have to make significant spending decisions, and to that end they're seeking as much information as possible to help them know how long they have to plan to stay closed as opposed to open. I think the prospect of a safe May election has given them some hope that May might be a possibility. Their immediate concerns, apart from workforce planning, though, are the arrival of rates bills and the possibility of travel being permitted elsewhere in the UK but not in Wales, and, of course, that will affect people's holiday decisions. So, what prospect is there of Welsh Government introducing a further business rates holiday for the sector pending reopening, and how important do you think, for the reason I've given—nothing to do with devolution—that some attempt must be made to align the reopening dates across the UK, notwithstanding the different tiers or alert levels, certainly between England and Wales?