Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:25 pm on 12 June 2018.
Last week, we had the very bad news that House of Fraser is closing stores in south Wales. In Cardiff, it's in the iconic Howells building, and of course House of Fraser in Cwmbran, too, is closing, and that will mean the loss of 438 jobs in total. I know some of my constituents work in Howells in Cardiff, which is in Jenny Rathbone's constituency in the centre of Cardiff. So, this is a real, terrible blow. Certainly in Cardiff, Howells store opened in 1865, and most people in Cardiff know somebody who worked there or did something there, including my auntie, who worked there, and everywhere you go, Howells has been such an iconic store. Of course, it is an awful blow as well because I understand that that store was actually making a profit, although it's part of the rescue deal for the House of Fraser as a whole. So, could we have a statement about what help can be given to the members of staff, the affected staff, and also can we have a debate about the future of the high street, because I think this closure and other recent closures mean that we really have to look at these threats to our high streets?