Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:20 pm on 26 May 2021.
As I've said previously, I know there are many businesses that are grateful for the support they've received so far, but there must now be, I think, some recognition from the Welsh Government of the cost businesses are facing as they reopen. I come back to the hospitality sector in particular here, given all of the years I spent in the sector. For example, restocking perishable goods and bringing staff back from furlough is proving tricky, especially when many of these businesses are reliant on decent weather to open up. We know that several firms abandoned opportunities to reopen outdoors before indoor reopening was allowed, and even then, businesses can't utilise their full indoor space and are struggling to trade outdoors in poor weather. Ultimately, there's been a gap in funding. Businesses shelved plans due to the weather, and they're unable to operate at full capacity. I am grateful for the opportunity provided by the economy Minister to meet with him and other opposition party spokespeople to discuss this in two weeks' time, and I'm looking forward to working constructively on this, but there is an urgent need for flexibility of funding now to help offset the risks that businesses continue to face. So, can I add my voice to the calls of many others and press on the First Minister, and through him the economy Minister, to urgently move on this? Because businesses need the security now and not in a fortnight's time. And I'm pretty sure I can speak for Plaid Cymru when I say that we're eager to get the ball rolling now.