6. What support is the Welsh Government providing to businesses affected by social distancing during the pandemic? OQ56712

Well, I thank the Member for that, Llywydd. Throughout the pandemic, we have provided £5.7 million of funding to support town centre businesses directly in carrying out adaptations to meet social distancing requirements.

Diolch, First Minister. Many businesses have reopened following the last lockdown. They have done so with a reduced capacity. This invariably means a reduced income. I've had representations from a yoga studio in South Wales East that has reopened in the last couple of months, but can only welcome a third of their usual clients through the door. Their overheads remain the same. They received a bounce-back loan last year, and they received Government support in March of this year. As a result of all this, they are on the brink of closure, with only £100 in their business account at the end of last week. Places that encourage an active and healthy lifestyle are vital for well-being and good physical and mental health. How will the Government support businesses like the yoga studio in my region to survive the economic challenges posed by social distancing?

Well, Llywydd, can I absolutely recognise the challenges that are caused to businesses unable to operate in the way that they would have done if it were not for the need to protect their users from the risks that coronavirus provides to staff and to users alike? I'm glad that the business was able to benefit from some Welsh Government support. Members will have seen that the economy Minister has announced a further sum of money specifically to help those businesses who continue either not to be able to operate at all, or operate in the circumstances that Mr Griffiths has just outlined. And there will be more help from the Welsh Government while this emergency persists and while businesses are trying to get back to being able to trade in the way that they once were able. In the meantime, to go back to the Member's original question, all that additional investment that the Welsh Government has provided does mean that, through those physical adaptations—the outdoor seating, the awnings, the street-front adaptations, the outdoor serveries, the electrical connections—all those many things that we have been able to assist businesses with in Wales, including in the Member's own region, do mean that businesses have been able to adapt to those new circumstances and at least trade to the maximum extent that is commensurate with the ongoing dangers that coronavirus provides.

I thank the First Minister.