4. Statement by the Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales: Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:32 pm on 17 March 2020.

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Photo of Ken Skates Ken Skates Labour 3:32, 17 March 2020

Can I thank Alun Davies for his contribution and for his questions? And he's absolutely right in that a four-nation approach will be needed, not just in terms of ensuring as many businesses as possible can survive, but also to plan for the period afterwards, to plan for the recovery of the economy. And I'm already giving thought to how we can form, as the Member put it, a form of taskforce, to ensure that we collectively invest in the right form of businesses across the country to drive inclusive, fair, purposeful growth in the future. 

I'll write to all Members with information concerning the Business Wales services. There are dedicated pages on that website concerning COVID-19, but, clearly, given the escalated scale of the problem that we face, it is quite clear that Business Wales's role in the coming months will be almost wholly consumed with coronavirus cases. And therefore it too will have to ensure that, internally, it is structured in a way to divert as much human resource as possible to this specific challenge. 

I think the Member makes an important point as well about certain sectors where homeworking just isn't possible, including, as he said, hospitality. And, for those businesses, the only viable option may be hibernation, and this is why it's vitally important that the UK Government agrees to the First Minister's calls for assistance in terms of underwriting wages to ensure that individuals are not made redundant and that companies don't go insolvent, and to ensure that the UK Government steps in in terms of holidays and relief for taxes.