NDM7428 Welsh Conservatives debate
NDM7428 Welsh Conservatives debate
NDM7428 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Welcomes the £4 billion of extra funding
made available to the Welsh Government by the Her Majesty’s Government to address
the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in Wales.
2. Recognises the significant adverse impact
of local coronavirus restrictions on businesses and other employers.
3. Notes the need to ensure that coronavirus
restrictions that impact upon employers are proportionate.
4. Calls upon the Welsh Government to:
a) remove the expectation for employers to
have a unionised workplace in order to access Welsh Government funding and
grants;
b) extend business rate relief to businesses
with a rateable value in excess of £500,000 and to landlords who are unable to
let vacant commercial properties;
c) waive the 10 per cent investment
requirement to access grants under phase 3 of the economic resilience fund; and
d) publish, in the public domain, data on the
number of positive COVID-19 tests on a local authority ward basis.
Supporting document
Letter from the Minister for Economy,
Transport and North Wales to business owners.
In accordance with Standing Order 12.23 (iii)
amendment 4 tabled to the motion has not been selected.
Amendment 1 Rebecca Evans (Gower)
Delete all and replace with:
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Notes the Welsh Government is dedicating
more than £4 billion to its response to COVID-19, a sum greater than the
Barnett consequentials received from the UK Government.
2. Recognises the Welsh Government’s £1.7
billion package of COVID-19 support for business is the best anywhere in the
UK, including a £500 million economic resilience fund which is helping to
protect in excess of 100,000 jobs.
3. Notes that fair work is at the heart of the
Welsh Government’s response and that every recipient of business support has
agreed to the principles of the economic contract.
4. Recognises the early, proportionate and
transparent measures the Welsh Government is taking to tackle the virus and its
public health and economic impacts.
5. Welcomes the Welsh Government’s £140
million plans for the third phase of the economic resilience fund (ERF3),
including £20 million dedicated for tourism and hospitality.
6. Notes that Welsh businesses continuing to
trade are able to receive support under the ERF3 rapid reaction fund, which is
not the case in relation to business support in restricted local areas in
England
7. Regrets the decision of the UK Government
to terminate the job retention scheme and believes that the job support scheme
gives insufficient incentive for employers in the most vulnerable sectors to
retain employees through the crisis, including tourism and hospitality.
8. Calls on the UK Government to make
available a comprehensive package of funding for local areas subject to
additional restrictions to tackle the virus.
[If amendment 1 is agreed, amendments
2 and 5 will be de-selected]
Amendment 2 Sian Gwenllian (Arfon)
Delete point 1 and replace with:
Calls for the enhancement of borrowing powers
at the Welsh level to respond to the impact of the pandemic in line with the
needs and priorities of Wales.
Amendment 3 Sian Gwenllian (Arfon)
Insert as new point after point 1 and renumber
accordingly:
Regrets that the UK Government's job support
scheme is of no help to a large number of Welsh businesses, particularly small
businesses and businesses in the service sector such as hospitality and hair
and beauty.
Amendment 5 Sian Gwenllian (Arfon)
Add as new sub-point at end of point 4:
re-evaluate COVID-19 business support to
ensure that it effectively fills the gaps left by the UK Government's schemes.
Business type: Debate
First published: 03/06/2021