What discussions has the Minister had with the Welsh Rugby Union in relation to the loan of £18 million from the Welsh Government to the union, and were there any conditions on the loan and how that money was to be spent?
I have regular discussions with the WRU in relation to the loan and other matters. The Welsh Government entered into a formal loan agreement with the WRU in early 2022 to enable settlement of the UK Government’s Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) loan. The CLBILS loan was taken out during COVID to support the four regions in their recovery from the Covid pandemic and there are general conditions in respect of the loan. Under the terms of the agreement, we have formal quarterly meetings with the WRU and an independent account manager oversees the ongoing arrangement, through a formal agency agreement with the Development Bank of Wales.