Written question WQ82776

International English language visitors contribute positively to our visitor economy and Welsh Government appreciates the role English Language schools play within the sector.

Business like these were eligible to access the Business Rate Relief, its associated grants and the Economic Resilience Fund to support them through the pandemic.

Following the First Minister announcement on the 18 June that our full move to alert level one is being paused for a further four weeks as a result of the delta variant, I have announced a further round of the Economic Resilience Fund (ERF) targeted at businesses that continue to be affected by Covid-19 restrictions.

The ERF will provide emergency and transition grants of up to £25k to eligible businesses to help meet their operating costs (excluding staff wages) for the period between 1st July 2021 and 31st August 2021.

An eligibility checker and details on how to apply will be available on the Business Wales website from 12pm on 5th July

Business Wales also has a wide range of non-financial advisory support available. Any business affected is encouraged to visit the Business Wales website https://businesswales.gov.wales or contact the Business Wales helpline on 03000 6 03000. The Business Wales Helpline is available Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm.

In addition, an additional £270m for the Development Bank of Wales’ Flexible Investment Fund was announced earlier this year. More than £500m will now be available, up to 2030, to support the long term success and growth of our firms, in turn creating and protecting thousands of Welsh jobs. Information on this and alternative sources of funding from the Development Bank can be accessed here: https://developmentbank.wales