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

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:52 pm on 17 March 2020.

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Photo of Jenny Rathbone Jenny Rathbone Labour 3:52, 17 March 2020

I represent the city centre of our capital city, and clearly there are huge numbers of shops, restaurants, bars and entertainment venues that are likely to be affected by this. The city centre is beginning to feel like a ghost town, so I'm very grateful for the rates relief that you have announced, as well as the time to pay that you have negotiated with the inland revenue. But clearly, there are other measures that we're going to need to get us through this if we're not going to have something akin to the blitz happening to our normally vibrant city centres. 

I wondered if I could just ask you about the plight of supply teachers, adding to what Dawn Bowden and Alun Davies have said, because if you're an employed teacher and you need to self-isolate you will still be paid, if you're a supply teacher needing to self-isolate you will not be paid. Equally, where schools need to close in the future, supply teachers would be without an income. So, I just would like to reiterate the points made by Mick Antoniw and others, that we really do need some clarity that sick pay is going to be statutory for everybody, regardless of their employment status, and either statutory sick pay for all or a minimum income guarantee needs to be put in place as a matter of urgency to ensure that people are self-isolating rather than taking risks.