Mid Wales Growth Deal

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:42 pm on 28 September 2021.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 1:42, 28 September 2021

Llywydd, I think the Member has picked up the wrong supplementary, because, as far as I am aware, business rates are not a responsibility of the mid Wales growth deal, which is the question on the order paper. So, I am struggling to understand the relevance of what he's just asked me to what I believed his question was to be about.

Here in Wales, of course, businesses still have a rates holiday for the rest of this financial year. Where his party is in charge, in England, that is no longer the case. Their business rates holiday is over, having been withdrawn by the Conservative Government. I hugely welcome the announcement that was made at my party's conference, because when a Labour Government is able to implement that policy for England, then the money will flow to Wales to allow us to continue to develop the scheme we have, which supports a far higher percentage of Welsh businesses than are supported by the equivalent scheme of his Government in England.