My ambition since the start of this pandemic has been twofold: firstly, to support businesses so that they survive and retain employees, despite the grave situation that they are facing; and then secondly, to support those who unfortunately become unemployed or who are entering the labour market for the very first time. You'll have heard me say on numerous occasions that if you had a good business in 2019, you'll have a good business in 2021, and my ambition remains just that, and that's why we must strengthen the foundational economy, as many Members have identified this afternoon, and recognise the vital importance of key workers and the crucial role that they play in our well-being and in every sector of our economy.

Now, in January we announced a further £3 million for the foundational economy challenge fund and the projects that it supports. That is improving the delivery of everyday goods and services that we all use and need—improving employment prospects within the foundational economy and delivering best practice that we can all learn from. Overall, our support package for businesses during this pandemic has been more than £2 billion. It remains the most generous package of support in the United Kingdom. As of last month, the economic resilience fund had safeguarded almost 150,000 jobs. That's more than 10 per cent of total employment in Wales. The committee's report, I think, rightly recognises the need to take advantage of the upswing in entrepreneurial activity and encourage business start-ups. The aim is for Wales's post-pandemic economy to drive prosperity equally and to help everybody realise their potential; harnessing an invigorated entrepreneurial culture is therefore vitally important.

We've helped start-ups during this pandemic. We have provided more than £4 million to start-ups facing collapse, and that has secured around about 1,600 businesses. We intend to help to rebuild, grow and strengthen the social enterprise sector so that it is a natural business model of choice for entrepreneurs delivering solutions to the social, economic and environmental challenges that we face, and furthermore, our barriers fund, for individuals who are considering self-employment, specifically targets young people who left college and university in 2019 and 2020. There were more than 330 applications, as of the end of January, each accessing up to £2,000 to have the very best chance of making their new venture succeed, and this forms part of our £40 million COVID commitment on skills and jobs. We've committed to offer advice and support to people over 16 to find work, to pursue self-employment, to find a place in education, training or employment, and this includes hiring incentives for employers: 16 to 24-year-olds, disabled people; those from black, ethnic minority and Asian communities; women. Those most affected by COVID-19 will be prioritised within that scheme. Having hit our target of creating 100,000 high-quality apprenticeships during this Senedd term, we'll use £16.4 million to stimulate hiring of new starters and continued employment of 5,000 apprentices. There will also be £3 million to support degree-level apprentices in digital ICT and advanced manufacturing, to deliver an alternative pathway for individuals to obtain higher level skills.

Now, in response to the committee's recommendation on research and development funding, increasing Wales's R&D funding and innovation base remains dependent, of course, on UK Government delivering on the levelling-up agenda, and we'll continue our financial support through SMART Cymru to develop, implement and commercialise products, processes and services.

Furthermore, in line with our ambition to create a greener economy, we'll invest in low-carbon and climate-resilient infrastructure and renewable energy projects, and this includes the modernisation of our transport network and the continuation of our existing plans for metros in north Wales, south Wales and west Wales. Our rail service is a critical asset, as has been identified today, and one we must protect. Since the pandemic began, we have provided significant financial support to keep trains running. The need for greater public control is a reflection, I think, of the ongoing pressures of coronavirus and the challenges being faced right across the rail industry as passenger demand remains exceptionally low. And also, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Welsh Government has continued to fund hugely important bus services across Wales, maintaining a skeleton network to support essential journeys, and then ramping up services to support the reopening of schools and the wider economy. As well as addressing emergency short-term needs, our new agreement with bus service operators is intended to signal the beginning of a lasting partnership with operators and public bodies to enable a reshaping of Wales's bus network, supporting the management and interaction of transport modes across Wales, and including, of course, the development of smart ticketing, unified routing and integrated timetabling. 

Last week, of course, I announced a funding package for Cardiff Airport to ensure its medium to long-term viability and to secure thousands of jobs in the regional economy. I'm determined that we emerge from this pandemic by building upon the foundations that we'd started before it struck and by reducing inequality and spreading wealth more fairly, and, indeed, well-being, across the whole of Wales.