4. Will the First Minister provide an update on Welsh Government support for businesses in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney? OQ56373

Llywydd, in the Member's constituency, the restrictions business fund has already paid grants totalling nearly £2 million to hundreds of firms. Over £0.5 million has been provided through the hospitality, leisure and tourism fund. This Government will go on supporting businesses in the Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney area as we recover from the pandemic.

Thank you for that answer, First Minister. These Welsh Government interventions clearly are critical to the chances of many businesses in my constituency, as is the absolute need for the UK Chancellor to confirm the extension of the furlough scheme as part of the UK budget announcement tomorrow.

I can tell you, First Minister, that Welsh Government investments in business support, in a new bus station, in the metro improvements, in apprenticeships and the success of the Aspire apprenticeships scheme, in signing the contract for the A465 improvements, in redeveloping Prince Charles Hospital and in redeveloping and building new schools are all positive actions that will enable my constituency to move forward. But can I ask you to give consideration to the scope for a further stimulus package to help move us from the pandemic, which will help both to restore trade and to lift our high streets, and to help tourism, hospitality, leisure and outdoor businesses through the next few months? At the same time, can you assure me that the Welsh Government will be taking the responsible decisions that we all need to keep Wales safe, while delivering greater fairness and putting people back to work?

Llywydd, I thank Dawn Bowden for those questions. I'm pleased to be able to tell her that the £30 million, which is the latest investment that we have provided in the hospitality, leisure and tourism sector specific fund, that the eligibility checker for that fund will open on 3 March, tomorrow morning, and that the fund itself will open on 9 March. I know that there will be businesses in the Member's constituency that will be looking to get further help and assistance from that fund, and I'm very glad that we've been able to find that £30 million to extend the help that is available to businesses, not just in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, of course, but across Wales.

The budget that will be laid this afternoon, Llywydd, will show a further major sum of money set aside by the Welsh Government to go on supporting businesses in Wales next year. I agree with what the Member said about the need for the UK Government to go on investing in the help that it provides people to go on being employed as we come, we hope, to the end of the current wave of the crisis. We will go on using the money that we have available as a Welsh Government to provide the most generous package of support to businesses anywhere in the United Kingdom. As the Wales Governance Centre recently confirmed through its own independent analysis, we have already well exceeded by some hundreds of millions of pounds the consequential funding that we've received from the UK Government for business support purposes.