 Rhaid i'n meddwl yw, wrth gwrs yn bywb maen nhw. Rhaid i'n meddwl gafodd am edrych i ni i chi ddych chi, roedd y gallu mew i g churches i gael yn cael ei vadol a'i gael ei beithydd o'i hwn yn cael eu gwyddogennol i hawdd o'r cyfnod yn gweithio y mynedd. Fe'r hyn oedd yn rhan o byd yn adolygu dros ei wneud i chi yn ffylwyd o bobl yn gweithio yma. beth oedd eu croeron ysrwyfiadau'n yn ffylwyd. Ydych chi'n rai'n braff iddi gael y cw resultau ac roedd gen i'r rhannu deidlasiad o'r cyfleol yn ysgrif Side Wales i'r gweithio'r gweithio'r cyfleol yn ystydig yma, yn cyflawni ar y dreidiau yma, felly mae'n bryd ar gyfer y casoddau arfermai ar gyfer y cyfleol, ac mae'r bysaf yn y cyfloddau cyfloddau ar ddod o'r cyfloddau cyfloddau a'r llythdoedd. Mae'n gweithio'r cyfloddau ar gyfer y Cyfloddau Ysgrif, dylau gyfloddau ar gyfer y Cyfloddau Llywodraeth, .. suspension and self employment support schemes.. ..to make sure companies don't fall through the gaps.. ..by offering the best, most generous, most.. ..comprehensive package of support for businesses.. ..anywhere in the United Kingdom. Our direct action has saved businesses.. ..and jobs right across Wales. In fact we've secured more than 100,000.. ..jobs through the first two phases of.. ..the economic resilience fund between.. ..the Welsh Government, direct support and.. assistance from the Development Bank of Wales, we've come to the aid of more than 14,000 businesses, the vast majority being micro, small and medium sized. And with the fantastic assistance of our local authority partners we've also made more than 64,000 awards to firms through the business rate system providing almost £770 million of support. And of course we are supporting business start-ups, 1,600 of them with grants worth £4 million so that the businesses of tomorrow have a bridge beyond Covid. And proud that we're also going further to protect businesses from eviction by extending the moratorium until the end of this year. And we've set aside an extra £40 million for skills support and announced of course a £7 million scheme to help freelancers in the creative industries. Now we can't save every business and every job to do so would require the sort of financial firepower that only the UK government possesses in its armoury but we've stood steadfast with firms and individuals throughout this pandemic and we've done everything in our power to ensure that a good business in 2019 will be a good business in 2021. Now it is time to look ahead to the future, to the next phase of our recovery bridge. We've pressed the UK government over many months to continue the furlough scheme and that message has only grown and intensified over the last few weeks as the rising number of cases and areas in local lockdown has made one thing very clear that this coming winter will be difficult for all of us. I'm pleased that last week the Chancellor listened to our calls and today I'd like to set out the work we will do once again to put politics aside, to work in the national interest and to put in place an additional package of support here in Wales that complements the job support scheme announced by the UK government Chancellor just last week and once again to give our businesses the best package of support anywhere in the UK. So today I'm announcing a further £140 million to support businesses in Wales. Up to £60 million of that funding will be used to support a new local lockdown fund to help businesses and individuals in those areas experiencing local restrictions. Today we have nine local authority areas under restrictions. By midnight that number will have increased to 12 and it's likely that over the next few weeks and months we'll see a rolling programme of restrictions to help us respond to local increases in cases. So we need to be dynamic in our approach to responding to coronavirus and none of us would wish to see a national lockdown if we can avoid it but we know that businesses in containment areas will need extra help. So grants of £1,500 will be available to retail, leisure and hospitality businesses with the rateable value of between £12,000 and £1 and £51,000 that have seen a material impact on their businesses as a result of local restrictions. Grants of £1,000 will be available to small businesses with a rateable value of £12,000 or less and who again can similarly demonstrate a material impact on their business. Now 5% of this funding will be made available to local authorities to support businesses materially impacted by local lockdown but not registered to pay business rates. There will be discretionary grants of up to £1,500 for those businesses. I'll be making more detail on the qualifying criteria for businesses in the coming days. The second major plank of this support package will be £80 million to help help businesses prepare for the post-COVID economy. Now this is an important and necessary change. The first two phases of the economic resilience fund were shaped in the initial phases of the crisis when the virus was new and when we were all experiencing the shock and awe of the first wave of the impact of a national lockdown. The economic resilience fund provided the cover for firms to hibernate through the lockdown and to help them adjust but the third phase of the economic resilience fund will take a different form. It will be designed to support businesses with projects that can help them transition to the new normal, to the economy of tomorrow. It will be more than just getting through, it's about the potential to thrive in the future, not just survive in the present. It will require co-investment from companies and a clear adjustment plan for a post-COVID economy. So grants of up to £10,000 will be available to micro-businesses, then employ up to nine people for projects on the condition that they match this with their own investment of at least 10%. Grants of up to £150,000 will be made available for small and medium-sized businesses with 10% minimum match funding required for small enterprises and 20% required for medium-sized businesses. And then grants of up to £200,000 will be available for larger businesses employing more than 250 people with 50% match funding required. And I'm pleased to say that all recipients of these grants will be required to sign up to the principles of the economic contract in order to ensure that we do truly build back better. Now some sectors have faced particular challenge, including of course tourism and hospitality businesses, many of which have recorded zero or near to zero income since March. So of the £80 million, £20 million will be ring-fenced to support tourism and hospitality businesses as they enter the winter months to give them a pathway through to spring 2021. We hope to launch the triage system for the new grants that are announced today in the first week of October, with applications open before the end of the month, allowing time for applications to be developed with first payments made as soon as possible afterwards. This £140 million will no doubt make the difference between business survival and business death for thousands of enterprises. It will also make the difference between employment and unemployment for thousands more workers. But nobody should be under any illusions about the scale of the challenges ahead of us. And that's why, as a Welsh Government, we remain totally committed to working with our partners and taking the necessary public health and economic support measures to tackle the virus and to help our economy through these coming winter months. I'm now happy to take questions today. I'll begin with Dan Davis from BBC Wales. Dan. Thanks Minister. The UK Government is reportedly considering stricter restrictions in hotspot areas of England going further than the restrictions we've already seen. If case numbers continue to rise in parts of South Wales where you've imposed restrictions, does the Welsh Government have a plan over what to do next? Well, we very much work with all public bodies and we've responded to calls from public bodies when asked for additional powers in order to ensure that people comply with restrictions. We work with police forces, with local authorities and we will consider whatever measures are necessary in order to ensure that public safety of the population is of paramount importance to us and that we make sure that we also contain this infection in the coming months. We've seen sometimes quite distressing accounts from students in quarantine around the UK. If there are students due to come to Wales this week who are worried about their education and about their welfare, what's your message to them? Well Dan, I can say that public health has always and will always be our most important priority as we tackle this pandemic and the welfare of individuals, particularly vulnerable people like the elderly and young people, is of vital importance. The Education Minister will be delivering a press conference later this week where I'm sure she'll be discussing and answering questions about the welfare of students, but I can say this. The last thing that we would wish for is for students to be facing the predicament of having to stay in university halls of residence over the Christmas period, having to face ongoing uncertainty and anxiety because of the pandemic and we are working incredibly closely with Welsh higher education institutions, with unions, with the workforce of universities and with student bodies to ensure that we respond to the needs of young people in universities and indeed in other education settings. Now I'll now move to Adrian Masters from ITV Wales. Thank you Minister. What's your advice to businesses that have to deal with people face to face and I'm not just talking about in the hospitality industry but organisations and businesses like Cardinalship say. Okay well I'd like to say this actually because I met with the Wales Retail Consortium last week and there was concern expressed about some aggression from the public in terms of having engaged with the workforce within shops. Nobody entering a business premises should be aggressive in any way. People should comply with the rules. The rules are in place to protect public health. They're in place to ensure that we get over coronavirus as soon as we possibly can do. So please follow the rules, follow the guidance, do all you can to keep yourself your loved ones and anybody who you may come into contact with safe. Make sure you wash your hands regularly, keep a distance, wear a face covering if you're in an enclosed area or in a confined area. It's for everybody to act responsibly to take action so that we overcome the economic and health impacts of this pandemic. Before I ask my second question could I just narrow that down what I actually meant was advice for those businesses who need to be able to see people in local lockdown areas in order to do their business. Can you advise them how to get through the lockdown restrictions? Sorry if I... No, sure. We're not forcing businesses to close in local lockdown areas so businesses can continue to operate. What's important is that businesses and individuals, members of the public, operate in the safest possible way. Yes, local restrictions are difficult for businesses. That's why we are introducing the £60 million fund that I've announced today so that if a business, whether it be a car dealership or any other type of business, experiences a material fall in turnover, they will be able to apply for and secure a grant from the Welsh Government. The measures that I'm announcing today are designed to offer a bridge beyond the local lockdown arrangements. We have enough financial resource in place, based on the modelling, to go through two waves of restrictions, local restrictions, but we also have the flexibility within the fund that would enable us to operate potentially through a third wave of local restrictions. We're putting as much financial resource behind supporting businesses as we possibly can do. Again, giving businesses in Wales the best, most comprehensive, most generous package of support anywhere in the United Kingdom. Thank you, and sorry I wasn't clear enough when I first asked that. My second question then is about nationwide, as in Wales-wide measures. The Welsh Government's meeting councils in the north is a northern lockdown on the cards, and if so, is that effectively a national lockdown rather than a series of local lockdowns? Well, I'll be meeting with local authority leaders as well to discuss the situation in the north of Wales. Clearly, infection rates are not as high in most parts of north Wales, and actually, if you look at one particular local authority area, Wrexham, back in August, there was much talk locally of the possibility of a local lockdown. But because of the test, trace and protect regime that was put in place, because of the hard work of the public bodies working together, and it has to be said, because of the vigilance and behaviour, good behaviour, of citizens in Wrexham County Borough, we saw levels fall dramatically. We are hoping that in the north we will see a similar reduction in figures that would enable us to avoid local lockdowns or regional lockdown. Obviously, some parts of north Wales are registering higher numbers than other areas, but there is no doubt, based on what I'm hearing from local authority leaders in the north, that while people are concerned about coronavirus, people are acting responsibly and responding to the need to act in a way that prevents a further spread of the virus. But we will be discussing this issue with local leaders in the north of Wales before reaching any decision on whether local lockdowns are required in any of the six local authority areas. And I'll now move to Mike Hughes from LBC. Minister, thank you very much indeed. Does the Welsh Government have a working assessment of what the long-term scarring to the economy is going to be from this pandemic? You've said today that you're not able to save any business. Do you know what the deep-rooted impact is going to be from all of this? Well, Mike, I'm sure you're aware of numerous models, numerous forecasts that suggest that unemployment could rise to 10% potentially more. There were concerns that without an extension or an evolution of furlough that the figure would be even higher. It's not going to be as high as a result of the job support scheme. That's why I very much welcome the UK Government's decision, although the UK Government must ensure that there's flexibility in that scheme. If it has to be adjusted, if they find that the scheme does not benefit all sectors as they had aimed and hoped for, then they have to amend it, just as they amended arrangements for the coronavirus interruption business loan scheme, the so-called C-bills scheme. So, the UK Government has to be able to operate flexibly in terms of the job support scheme. We in Welsh Government have operated on the basis of putting as much financial resource behind businesses as possible, and we will go on doing that. And as a result of our direct interventions, as I said earlier, we've secured more than 100,000 jobs. The latest unemployment statistics show that there is a significant gap in unemployment between Wales and the UK, a 1% difference between Wales and the UK. We are 1% below the UK average in all probability because we have the most generous package of support for businesses. That 1% is the equivalent of 15,000 jobs that have been saved, and potentially more than that because many of the predictions that Wales would be worse hit than the UK overall because we've got sectors that are so much more exposed, including aerospace, automotive, tourism and hospitality. And to put it into context, 15,000 jobs is the equivalent of the entire working population, the entire working population of Ebu Vale and Bryn Mawr or of Mold and Buckley. That is a degree of our intervention today, and we will go on working to secure jobs to save businesses in the coming months ahead. But there is no doubt that we face a huge challenge globally as a consequence of the pandemic. Our aim within Welsh Government is to save as many jobs and businesses as we possibly can do, working alongside UK Government, giving added value to any interventions that UK Government ministers make. Thank you. By the end of the day, a large proportion of Wales will be under local restrictions. Many people living in those areas will be single households who will no longer now be able to meet with anyone else. Are you able to provide us with an update today on whether there will be a change or an exemption to the rule for single households in terms of meeting someone else in Wales? Mike, this is a really important issue for so many people, particularly for the elderly and other vulnerable individuals. The First Minister will be giving a statement at the end of this week. This is the week in which the review is undertaken. We are acutely aware of the stress and anxiety that people living in single households are facing right now. If we can support them in any way, then we most certainly will do. I will move now to Wales Online and Will Hayward. Thank you Minister. Some people in Wales are not allowed to lead their county because cases are too high at 40 cases per 100,000 people. However, people in parts of England where cases are over 200 cases per 100,000 are allowed to travel to rural Wales on holiday. Is this not both a serious threat of spreading the virus and unfair on the people in Welsh lockdown areas? Does the Welsh Government have any plans to deal with this? First of all, it is absolutely vital that people consider very carefully whether journeys are required for whatever purpose. The rules and regulations are in place to inform people as to what they can and cannot do, but people also have a duty to society to consider what they should and should not do. Right now, with the nation facing a very serious second wave of coronavirus, it is incumbent upon everybody to do what they can to minimise the risk of the infection spreading. So if anybody has to travel, then they should do so considering every particular risk that it involves when they stop, when they interact with people and they should take precautions in any way that they can. Whilst it is vitally important that we retain an opportunity for businesses within the tourism and hospitality sector through the coming weeks and months, it is also vitally important that businesses and people who are either going on holiday or offer a service, a tourism or hospitality service, operate in a way that minimises the risk of exposure and transmission. I would say just regarding hospitality businesses in particular, they have probably been hit more than any other sector in the economy, particularly those parts of hospitality that have not been able to operate at all. I was thinking of wedding events industries where they simply are not able to operate because they can't attract the bookings. It's vitally important that the UK government looks to what the Welsh government is announcing with the £20 million ring fence fund and brings forward its own complementary package of support for hospitality because if they don't, then we do face a terrible loss of jobs and businesses over coming winter months. Thank you. So, just in answer to that question, there aren't plans by the Welsh government to restrict people coming from places with large amounts of cases in England. These are local lockdowns designed to contain infections within areas. What's absolutely important is that people living outside an area considers very carefully not just what they can and cannot do but what they should or should not do. It's a responsibility of individuals as much as it is for businesses or for governments in terms of how we respond to coronavirus and people have to do the right thing. And back in March, back in April and in May, people responded incredibly well and we were able to reduce the infection rate. We were able to drive down transmission levels. It's absolutely vital in the coming weeks and months that we see a similar effort undertaken by individuals as well as by businesses. Thank you. And what is the best and worst case scenarios for over winter for Welsh jobs? You must have done the modelling. How many jobs could Wales lose? And on that, is a grant of £1,500 a sticking plaster? Can you tell us what the forecast say that will save in terms of jobs in Wales as well? So, Will, you've given me an opportunity to highlight how we've been learning from other areas of the UK in regard to local lockdowns. So, in other parts of the United Kingdom, similar grant awards have been made and they are in most circumstances sufficient to give that short-term bridge as we get through local restrictions, as we get through local lockdowns. They're not designed to keep businesses operating for an entire winter season or beyond. They are designed to get businesses through local lockdowns and we've learned particularly from places like Leicester and Aberdeen, as well as other major urban areas, and we are confident that sport that we are announcing today will be sufficient to prevent businesses from dying as a consequence of coronavirus. And I'll now move to Rob Taylor from rexham.com. Afternoon Minister, you've touched on North Wales in forthcoming meetings, but what's your current understanding of the situation here as the positive proportion of financial redemption now matches areas that have been locked down elsewhere? And if that's not the data that the public should be looking at, what is? And is there any detail on these figures? Are they rising due to specific issues in care homes or the issues in hospitals or is this due to wider community transmission? Well, Rob, the data shifts quite swiftly from one day to the next. Our understanding is that in many instances across Wales, across the UK, particularly earlier in the autumn period, transmissions were taking place largely in domestic dwellings rather than in restaurants or pubs or cafes. We were finding that transmission was taking place because people were gathering in pretty significant numbers within homes. We've been pressing people not to do that. We introduced the maximum £10,000 fines for illegal gatherings as a consequence of the police asking us to introduce that particular measure to drive down the possibilities of domestic gatherings adding to transmission rates. And as I've said repeatedly, it's absolutely vital that people behave in a responsible way, that they adhere to the rules, the regulations, the guidance and that they think about their own health and safety. They think about the health and safety of their families and their entire community. Thank you. And three on the announcement if possible very quickly, the third tranche of the economic resilience fund has been referenced. Is that this £140 million or is it going to be something separate? You've mentioned a pledge to go with it. What's the aim behind that because it doesn't seem to be an enforceable thing that some of the people opt into? And finally to speak about one specific employer, what is the latest on Welsh criminal talks with Airbus? Well discussions with Airbus are ongoing. Obviously Airbus and its unions were pressing for an extension of the furlough scheme. That was one of the reasons why we were so insistent on it continuing. So we were pointing to the German model as an exemplar in this regard. The UK government system is not quite the same as the German model. That's why I said earlier in this press conference that I think it's vitally important that the UK government keeps its eyes open and mind open as to any adjustments that may need to be made to the job support scheme to ensure that businesses such as Airbus can retain as many staff as possible. Yes, the third phase of the economic resilience fund is the £140 million package of support that I'm announcing today. There's great flexibility built into it so that we can respond to emerging scenarios, but it will make a huge difference now to businesses across Wales, but particularly to those businesses in local lockdown areas and to those businesses that have been able to generate virtually no income since the start of the pandemic, in particular hospitality businesses. And in terms of the pledge, the economic contract, the economic contract has been in place for a short period of time, but it's already attracted more than 12,000 businesses. 12,000 businesses have signed up to the principles of the contract and they will be developing over the coming year with Welsh government officials, firm contracts to be put in place that we will be testing behaviours against. The economic contract is hugely important in driving improved skills, decarbonisation, better mental health in the workplace, and we all know, based on reports that we regularly see in the news, just how challenging the situation is regarding mental health within the public realm. And so there's a role for businesses to play in that regard as well, making sure that their employees' welfare is prioritised. So the economic contract is hugely important, and I have to say that in the vast majority of instances businesses have been incredibly proactive in demonstrating innovation in how they apply the economic contract in the workplace, showing really good business responsibilities and responsibilities towards their workers, which I think we should be proud of in Wales. I think we should be proud of the fact that we have moved from a position of coexistence with business to one of collaboration with business, where Welsh government is able to invest on the basis of a something for something approach. Thank you, Rob, and I'll now move finally to Jess Hemmings. You managed that. I wanted to touch back on a question that Will gave you and revisit that again really, if I could. It's one o'clock. We all want to see trade return to north Wales, but you saw the scenes on Snowdonia this weekend. It's clear that lockdown, there are problems in the north west of England, that's right on our doorstep. So isn't it time that Welsh Government actually grasped a network and restricted non-essential travel into north Wales at a time when you say yourself cases are rising in north Wales? Well, there's a very fine balancing act in ensuring that you maintain economic activity, that you don't end up with a long-term scarring effect of a pandemic, and then also on the other side ensure that public health remains a priority and that you protect the public during the course of a virus such as coronavirus. What we're saying, and I've said repeatedly today, is that people have their own role in judging what they should and should not do, not just what they can and cannot do. And it's vitally important if anybody decides to come to Wales on holiday or for a visit that they do so in a safe way. And I've seen tourist businesses respond to the virus in an incredible way, putting in place measures to protect their customers, to protect their workers. I'm confident that those businesses in north Wales have done all they can to protect the public, to protect their employees. So it's vitally important that anybody who visits Wales acts in a responsible way to prevent any transmissions from occurring and so that we can get through the coming months without a huge rise in coronavirus whilst at the same time maintaining activity in these important sectors. Just to come back on that for a minute, what was your view of the scene system down here at the weekend? Well, look, some people act irresponsibly, but the vast majority of people act incredibly responsible, not just towards their own health, but the health and safety of others. Unfortunately, a small minority of people can sometimes be disruptive, but we are willing to respond to the calls of any public body who wish to have more powers in order to crack down on irresponsible behaviour. We've done that when the police have asked for those £10,000 maximum fines to be introduced. We've done it when local authorities have come to us and asked for powers to ensure that they can contain the virus by cracking down on illegal gatherings. We will go on responding to public bodies who ask us for the powers and for the equipment to be able to respond to irresponsible behaviour. Can I just ask you a question about testing then? Back in April, testing was being done mainly in Cardiff, and we endured some delays in north Wales. Bang University offered its labs expertise and support. Finally, on 18 August, Welsh Government announced funding for 24-7 COVID testing in hospitals, including in the Spudigland period up here. One would assume that's something to do with the problems we've had in the lighthouse labs. Can you absolutely assure Welsh voters in north Wales that we'll have a testing system that's fully fit for those coming into it? Well, I think the FM has already spoken extensively about this and reassured people in north Wales that we will have that. We'll see capacity increase next week to 5,000 a day and then 8,000 a day a week after that. We're assured that, by November, the lighthouse labs, which, yes, have faced problems, will deliver capacity to the degree of 19,000 tests per day in Wales. That's a significant figure. Of course, all parts of Wales will benefit from that, including north Wales. Thank you. That brings us to the end of today's press conference. Thank you.