Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government – in the Senedd at 1:40 pm on 23 June 2021.
Diolch, Llywydd, and thank you, Minister, for coming before us today, and I look forward to a healthy working relationship with you over the coming period.
Minister, the Welsh Government's decision to delay major relaxation of restrictions by some four weeks has dashed the hopes of many sectors, in particular hospitality, which had been hoping obviously for an earlier return to trading after those difficult, disastrous 15 months we've had, and, for businesses to stay afloat for the duration of the current restrictions, it's now crucial that additional support is quickly made available. However, I noticed in the supplementary budget, which we received last night, it's only allocated funding for businesses to the end of this month—to June. So, Minister, as a matter of urgency, will you today answer my call to provide additional financial support to Wales's businesses beyond the end of this month?