Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:52 pm on 11 January 2022.
Thank you. Well, you'll be aware of the Minister for Economy's statement just prior to Christmas. So, a discretionary fund will be delivered by local authorities. There will be a short application process, and that will support other businesses such as sole traders and freelancers, and that includes taxi drivers as well, and businesses that employ people but who do not pay business rates. So, the fund will provide £500 to sole traders and freelancers, and £2,000 to businesses employing people in the impacted sectors. Applications will open on local authority websites, I think, next week—the week beginning 17 January—and those windows will be open for two weeks. Obviously, the Minister for Economy will be keeping the support under review