Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:41 pm on 31 January 2023.
Thank you, and I'm very sorry to hear about the businesses and organisations in your constituency that have had to unfortunately close. As you know, here in Wales, we have Business Wales, and that's just about to celebrate its tenth anniversary, and they've provided a single integrated service to support businesses through these very difficult and uncertain economic times. That includes during the pandemic, as we left the European Union, and obviously the current cost-of-business crisis. Nearly 32,000 businesses were supported through the economic resilience fund during the pandemic, and direct support is available for businesses who continue to face uncertainties due to the cost-of-living crisis, the business crisis and, of course, the recession. There are many businesses in your constituency that have received support and, as you know, we've recently rolled out the business productivity enhancement programme. That's aimed at supporting SME manufacturing businesses also.