5. What action is the Welsh Government taking to support business start-ups in Cynon Valley? OQ57659

Thank you. We have a suite of business-support products available through the Business Wales service to support start-ups with a variety of subjects, from hiring staff to identifying appropriate finance. Providing start-up opportunities is also a key strand of the young person's guarantee offer.

Thank you, Minister. As you note, there is a lot of support out there for start-ups, not just from Welsh Government, but also from, for example, Rhondda Cynon Taf council, with its nine-to-five hub for budding entrepreneurs. However, recent research from the Bevan Foundation suggests that there needs to be at least 1,000 new businesses in the Cynon Valley just to match the Welsh average. How can Welsh Government work to accelerate the rate of start-ups in the Cynon Valley and help to close this worrying gap?

That's part of the reason why it's been so important to try to maintain the investment in not just skills, but also in the business support service that we provide through Business Wales, because we can provide a bespoke package of support, for either individuals or for particular areas. Now, I think that would be something that would be well worth exploring between my officials and RCT, as you mentioned it, as the local authority, who already do have active programmes within the county area. But, as you've identified the Cynon as a particular area, it may make sense for me to contact your office to see if we can have a conversation about what we might be able to do specifically around Cynon Valley with yourself and the local authority and my officials working with Business Wales.