Part of 2. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:21 pm on 29 June 2021.
Mark Drakeford
Labour
2:21,
29 June 2021
I'd like to thank Llyr Gruffydd for that supplementary question. The problem is that the UK Government has changed the programme that they have in place. They've just launched a new scheme to help people in the position that Llyr Gruffydd made reference to. We have agreed with the UK Government on that new plan, and we are still determined to provide additional funding over and above the UK programme for people here in Wales. I think, today, the UK Government has published a statement that provides more details about the new scheme and does confirm that the funding provided in the past from the Government here in Wales—which is £3,000 for the individuals and £7,000 for businesses—will remain in place. I'm not quite sure when the UK scheme will open for individuals, but from what I've seen today, that isn't too far away now.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
