2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:50 pm on 11 January 2022.

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Photo of Jenny Rathbone Jenny Rathbone Labour 2:50, 11 January 2022

I'm delighted to hear, Trefnydd, that we are going to have a debate next week on cervical cancer, which happens to be Cervical Cancer Awareness Week, so great timing. Thank you very much.

I just wanted to ask for a statement from the economy Minister about the way in which the extra £120 million he announced in December to cope with the restrictions that have had to be imposed as a result of omicron are going to help taxi drivers in particular, who been unbelievably badly affected by the clarity with which the Welsh Government message has been heard about the need to not do the usual festive meeting-up with people. This has had a massive impact on taxi drivers' earnings. They would normally earn above £3,000 in December, which helps tide them over the quiet month of January, but now all they've been earning in December has been somewhere in the region of £800 or less, and this has barely covered their costs and they simply don't have any money to live off. So, it would be very useful to hear how the economy Minister's additional money is going to enable people like taxi drivers and, indeed, the hospitality industry where they don't have employment rights, to tide them over this unbelievably difficult situation, given that they can't get universal credit for up to six weeks.