8. Will the Minister make a statement on support for tourism businesses in Ynys Môn? OQ56318

I am fully aware of the pressure on the industry in Anglesey and I very much appreciate the relationship between ourselves as a Government and the local authority in Ynys Môn, under a strong leadership there. I'm pleased to say that we are continuing to seek ways of collaborating and also of securing adequate funding from the UK Government.

Thank you. The sector certainly needs further support. There are still businesses who are only receiving a little support, or virtually none—those who are self-employed, those who don't pay their staff through PAYE, businesses that opened too close to the original lockdown, those that are receiving the self-employment income support grants, but therefore haven't been eligible for the grants from the specific fund for the sector. There is one fund looking at commercial profits, looking at the threshold and another on turnover. I've received correspondence from a company running a number of restaurants—the staff are on furlough, but the owners can't pay themselves because there is no profit in the business.

These are very common stories. I want this sector to be fit and ready to reopen, so can I ask you what you are doing now to try and close these gaps? With the new normal being very different to how things were, when things do reopen—fewer customers in restaurants, for example, a bus company not being able to work, possibly—how do you hope to assist businesses in reopening on a phased basis? When will we have the kind of recovery plan that will engender confidence in the sector for the future?

Everything that we do as a Welsh Government is aimed at the recovery of the tourism sector, and other sectors. We have secured almost £3 million for almost 200 tourism businesses on Anglesey, and that is in addition to the grants that have been allocated very effectively by the local authority. That will continue.

I continue to meet regularly with tourism Ministers across the UK and I have to say that strong pressure is being placed on the UK Government by my fellow Minister in England, because he represents a rural area that relies on tourism, similar to what we have in Wales. That's how we're seeking to work.

I would like to have any information on anyone who is having such difficulties as you mentioned. Where they fall between the gaps between the Welsh Government and UK Government support programmes, we will look into that.

Thank you to the Deputy Minister and the Minister.