By Lesley Griffiths, MS for Wrexham

The Welsh Government confirmed last week students will not be required to sit their GCSE, AS level or A level exams next year.

This has been an unprecedented time and school timetables have been severely disrupted for a significant period. Although the public health situation will hopefully improve, there is no assurance the rest of this academic year will play out uninterrupted.

The time learners will spend in school or college will vary, so as there is no guarantee of a level playing field, the Welsh Government has acted early and decided this was the fairest option. Grades instead will be based on classroom assessments. They will be externally set and marked and a national approach will ensure consistency.

I think this decision will be welcomed. It has been a stressful and uncertain time for our young people but this move will provide greater reassurance, allowing them to focus on working towards their qualifications.

To support businesses, charities and social enterprises further, the Welsh Government doubled the third phase of its Economic Resilience Fund (ERF) to more than £300m. The funding broadly comes in two parts - £100m of Business Support Grants and £200m of Lockdown Business Grants. The demand for the first element of this support package - the £100m Business Development Grants - was exceptional, with almost 6,000 applications received in approximately 24 hours.

Consequently, the fund has been paused as the indicative limit has been reached. This pause, however, does not affect the larger element of the fund - the £200m of Lockdown Business Grants.

This remains available and is designed to provide the emergency support to businesses forced to close during the firebreak. The fund also supports the businesses that were affected by local lockdowns before the firebreak, so Wrexham businesses will be eligible.

More information can be found on the Business Wales website and Wrexham Council's website. Payments are being processes as quickly as possible, with the first Business Development Grants being disclosed last week. With regard to the Lockdown Business Grants and local discretionary support, the Welsh Government is aiming for the payments to be made within 30 days of the registration or application.

It was also announced that funding is being set aside for a fourth phase of the ERF. This next stage will ensure those businesses who missed out or have not applied for Business Development Grans can continue to make plans for the future. Further information will be revealed in the coming weeks.

If you are a constituent and you think there is something I could help you with, please email me at lesley.griffiths@senedd.wales or call 01978 355743.