Part of 5. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 4:19 pm on 26 June 2019.
That Powys site, as we've heard, has closed. We think, of course, of all those affected who were employed on that project. I have heard, though, from a number of sources that Jistcourt appears to be continuing work on a contract to install kitchens in council homes with Bristol City Council—a contract, I understand, is worth around £6 million. I wonder if the Minister is aware of that. I'd appreciate any comments on that, and perhaps he could clarify how Jistcourt's work appears to be able to be continuing after it has gone into administration. If the Minister isn't aware of it, I'd appreciate it if he could make urgent enquiries and update us as soon as he can. And also, of course, if it is appropriate for this work to be continuing in Bristol in some way, why is it not in Powys? Those are the kinds of questions that we could do with some answers to.
Of course, Jistcourt is by no means the first construction company to go into administration in recent months; we've already discussed that. I'd like to ask the Government, though, what wider plans it has just to run a health check on the wider construction sector in Wales. Is there scope for an audit of construction companies to establish which companies may be at risk? Government clearly has to be careful in what it could say publicly, but announcements like this are particularly worrying. It affects many workers directly and, of course, it is recognised that a struggling construction sector can be a flag, an ominous sign of bad news on the way in the wider economy.