2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:33 pm on 8 May 2018.

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Photo of Lesley Griffiths Lesley Griffiths Labour 2:33, 8 May 2018

Thank you, Julie Morgan. And you will have heard the First Minister's concern around this decision. Obviously, it's a non-devolved matter; it's been taken by the UK Government. We understand that approximately 1,400 DWP staff will be affected by the relocation proposals, which were announced by the DWP last week. As the First Minister said, these are not new jobs. We know that staff are currently based in benefit offices in Merthyr, Caerphilly, Cwmbran, Newport and Gabalfa, Cardiff, in your own constituency, and the prospect is of moving to a new building in Treforest in 2021. We do understand the DWP are working to ensure that there are no job losses for staff resulting from the relocation, and that staff will be offered alternative roles, if relocation is not an option. But, clearly, as a Government, we are very concerned about this decision by the UK Government.