Rebecca Evans: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. The Welsh Government recognises the challenges facing businesses during the pandemic, and an extraordinary effort has gone into providing the most generous business support package anywhere in the UK. Our £1.7 billion package includes over £350 million of non-domestic rates relief for businesses in the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors, and this scheme reduces...
Rebecca Evans: This is indeed a really serious report, with some important conclusions. I know that the health Minister has welcomed the review team's report, which, as David Melding says, is primarily relating to England, but it will certainly have implications for clinical practice here in Wales. I know that the Minister intends to carefully assess the recommendations and the conclusions in relation to...
Rebecca Evans: Well, the matter that Neil McEvoy raises is clearly very serious in terms of ensuring that accurate information is presented in these extremely important cases. So, can I invite him to write to the Minister with some more detail about his experiences and the discussions that he had in his call with mothers and with grandparents in order to better understand the issues that he describes?
Rebecca Evans: I take this opportunity to welcome Laura Anne to the Senedd—or, back to the Senedd, I should say—and look forward to your contributions in the business statement. I know that the Minister has been working really hard with the education sector, local authorities, trade unions and so forth to plot out the way forward in terms of returning to schools. Of course, Wales is the only part of...
Rebecca Evans: I know that there was a statement issued earlier on this week that set out some of the parameters for the childcare and play provision that will be provided over the summer, but I will make sure that today I do have the opportunity to speak to the Deputy Minister and ensure that she is aware of that request for a statement specifically regarding the children of key workers over the summer.
Rebecca Evans: I thank Andrew R.T. Davies for raising both of those issues. Again, as I mentioned previously, the health Minister does have questions today, so there'll be opportunities to discuss your particular question regarding the write-off of the deficits of the health boards. But, again, I'll have the opportunity to speak to the health Minister myself and relay that request for the statement on that...
Rebecca Evans: I'm very happy to provide that reassurance that we have no plans whatsoever to change our approach to free parking for staff, visitors and patients at hospitals here in Wales, which was, of course, a policy that we introduced back in 2008. We're very keen to see that policy continue.
Rebecca Evans: We were shocked and very disappointed by the way in which the news was relayed to officials following all of the hard work and the relationship, I think, that has been built up over a number of years. Welsh Government and our contractors have worked tirelessly to ensure that the site was ready, in line with Ineos's tight timescales, despite both the flood and COVID-19. There'll be an...
Rebecca Evans: Those are detailed questions, which I know the Member will want to raise directly with the health Minister. Of course, the health Minister does have oral questions this afternoon, which might be an opportunity to begin to discuss some of those questions.
Rebecca Evans: I thank Darren Millar for raising both of those issues, and, yes, I do recognise the good work of the armed forces liaison officers. As Darren says, the funding is there for them until the end of this Assembly term, or certainly until the end of this financial year, and that particular service, alongside all others, will be part of the discussions that we have leading up to our setting of the...
Rebecca Evans: Diolch, Llywydd. There are no changes to today's agenda. Draft business for the next three weeks is set out on the business statement and announcement, which can be found amongst the meeting papers available to Members electronically.
Rebecca Evans: As I say, they have been included in our non-domestic rates related grant scheme. So, perhaps if you write to me with that specific case, I can look into it to make sure that we provide the correct advice.
Rebecca Evans: Yes. The Welsh Government is providing £1.7 billion to help businesses and not‑for‑profit organisations in Wales during the coronavirus outbreak. This includes over £875 million for grants related to non-domestic rates. All not-for-profit organisations that meet the eligibility criteria will receive a grant of either £10,000 or £25,000.
Rebecca Evans: Well, we've been very clear that we wouldn't increase Welsh rates of income tax over this entire Assembly term, and we stuck to that. But I do think it's a case for all parties, really, to set out what their intentions would be for Welsh rates of income tax ahead of the next Senedd elections so that members of the public can decide what they feel is right for them.
Rebecca Evans: The pandemic is putting great pressure on our resources this year, and there are huge uncertainties about funding in future years. That's why, at last week's finance Ministers' quadrilateral, I pressed the Chief Secretary to announce how and when he will set spending plans for next year and beyond.
Rebecca Evans: Thank you very much for raising that. You'll be aware that there has been an inter-ministerial group on paying for social care that has been meeting over the past number of years now to consider the ways forward. We're very aware of those differentials in the payment that is received in different areas. Some of it is very difficult, I think, to explain. That work is still ongoing despite the...
Rebecca Evans: Social care plays a vital role in supporting some of the most vulnerable people in Wales. This work is more important than ever. We have allocated £40 million to support the extra costs of adult social care services and are providing payments of £500 to front-line Welsh social care staff.
Rebecca Evans: Yes, I'd be very happy to. So, thus far, we've published details of the additional funding in the first supplementary budget, but we do expect the Treasury to publish its block grant transparency tables very shortly, showing the detail of allocations across all three devolved nations. I think that those transparency tables are important in understanding the workings out, as Mike Hedges says....
Rebecca Evans: Measures announced by the UK Government since the budget are expected to result in consequentials for Wales of around £2.3 billion, some of which are as yet indicative. Welcome though this is, it's less than we have needed to meet the immediate needs generated by the COVID crisis.
Rebecca Evans: I think that one of the real strengths of our approach here in Wales has been those very locally based teams of people doing the tracing work. I can say that I've had a number of discussions with the health Minister and with officials over the last week, looking at what funding will be needed in order to increase the size of that workforce, what the core size should be, and how we can ensure...
