5. Will the Deputy Minister make a statement on Welsh Government support for the third sector in Mid and West Wales? OQ56413

Thank you, Helen Mary Jones, for that question. The Welsh Government provides core funding for the Wales Council for Voluntary Action and county voluntary councils to enable them to support local voluntary organisations and volunteering groups across Wales, and we've provided £4 million via our third sector COVID response fund to the third sector in Mid and West Wales.

I'm grateful to the Deputy Minister for her answer. The Deputy Minister will be aware that in recent years many third sector organisations, and Connecting Youth, Children and Adults in Llanelli, in my region, being one, have been diversifying and trying to make their operations more commercial. For example, in CYCA, they've been trying to let out office space for hot desking, that kind of thing. Now, with the impact of the COVID crisis, these attempts to become more commercial are under threat, they've become more difficult, they may have to be refocused. Can the Deputy Minister tell us this afternoon what support the Welsh Government is able to provide to those kinds of third sector organisations whose incomes have been impacted in the medium term? 

That's a very important question in terms of the pressures on the voluntary sector during the pandemic and the fact they've had to diversify, and many have diversified in order to respond to the pandemic in different ways. I do remember, of course, visiting the CYCA project myself in past times and seeing the good work that they've undertaken.

Of course, back in April of last year, while responding to the pandemic, I did issue this £24 million package of support for Wales's third sector, and the important point about the package was that it was about emergency response, but it was also about resilience, responding to the pandemic and recognising the need to support those that were diversifying. So, I think the coronavirus recovery grant for volunteering was crucially important in terms of meeting those new needs, but also to recognise it was a recovery for the voluntary services funding, which is now £7.5 million, focusing on reducing inequalities across society and resources for change and development, including also infrastructure support, as well as the Welsh Revitalising Trusts, rebuilding after coronavirus. And this is where we can also ensure that third sector organisations can access other sources of support. So, it's resilience, it's emergency funding and it's recovery to support these organisations. 

Question 6, Janet Finch-Saunders. Question 6, Janet Finch-Saunders. 

Calling Llandudno bay. Janet Finch-Saunders, can you hear me? I can see you, Janet Finch-Saunders. Are you listening? No.

Nick Ramsay, question 4. 

Can you hear me now?

Yes. 

Good. I'm not sure what is going on. [Laughter.] Gremlins in the system. Okay.