Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:05 pm on 13 June 2023.
Thank you very much to Paul Davies for raising this issue on economic development in Preseli Pembrokeshire. As we know, small businesses are facing a number of challenges at the moment, including poor public transport, digital connectivity, which is unreliable, and also a lack of banking services, to name but a few. But when businesses close in rural communities, like banks, post offices and shops, it can be very damaging indeed. But, it's encouraging that there are a number of examples, in Paul Davies's constituency, as it happens, of the community coming together to buy those assets and to create community businesses, such as Tafarn Sinc in Rosebush, the ironmonger Havards shop in Newport and, more recently, the community around Crymych has raised over £200,000 to buy the Crymych Arms as a community asset. So, last year, the Local Government and Housing Committee called on the Government to develop a range of measures to support communities to take control of these kinds of assets, and to follow the Scottish pattern, which is the community right to buy. Can I ask the First Minister, therefore, to introduce legislation of this kind in this Senedd?