Part of 3. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:13 pm on 12 November 2019.
First Minister, I agree with much of what you've just said there with regard to the importance of private companies signing up to the code and their role in delivering the living wage. Can I also add my congratulations to those that other Members have given to Cardiff as the first living wage city? That's important not just for Cardiff but also for the city region area.
However, Cynnal Cymru have found that one in five jobs in Wales are still paying below the living wage of £9.30 an hour, and Welsh workers still have some of the lowest weekly wages across the UK. You mentioned Cardiff, and I've mentioned Cardiff—there's also disparity between the north of Wales and the south of Wales. So, given the powers that this Welsh Government now have at its disposal, but particularly tax powers, for instance, how do you envisage using the new tools in the toolbox, as they're often called, to make sure that, over the months and years to come, the situation between the north and the south of Wales can be evened up, so that all parts of Wales can benefit from more people living above the living wage?