Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:31 pm on 17 March 2020.
Thank you for your statement, Minister. I've got a number of questions I'd like to ask to help put people's minds at rest. Now, it's been pointed out that crisis situations can bring out the best in humanity, and one of the most inspiring things that we've all seen across Wales is the amazing community support efforts that are being put into helping people who are having to self-isolate. Can I ask you if you can announce financial support for local voluntary services or for these community groups to buy equipment, practical equipment, but also equipment or support to help tackle loneliness amongst the people who are self-isolating, and also if the Welsh Government will be supporting schemes to provide vouchers for groups to go out to buy food and essential supplies for the people who are self-isolating?
The First Minister mentioned earlier that testing will be made available for front-line clinical staff. Of course, social care workers are on the front line, and over the coming weeks and months, they're going to be carrying out a really essential role. There's surely an obligation on the Welsh Government and local authorities to count social care staff as key front-line workers in this regard. So, could I ask if they will be prioritised for testing, as well as what extra resource will be made available for them? That, obviously, would count in terms of care workers who go into people's homes, but also people in the residential care sector, as well; many of them will be run by local authorities.
The UK Government announced that the NHS effectively has a blank cheque to deal with this crisis. Would you agree with me, Minister, that the social care service also needs a blank cheque to continue caring for people? In terms of local government finance, you mentioned in your statement that there will be fewer workers who will have to cope with an increased workload. So, could you outline any relaxations on local government financial controls that we could expect, since we don't want local government to have to be cancelling or not carrying out essential services in this really worrying time because of financial reasons?
And then, you mentioned in your statement a number of provisions relating to homelessness, and I've got a few questions relating to housing, if I may. The coming weeks will be difficult for everyone who needs to self-isolate, but I'm sure we can only imagine how difficult that's going to be for people who don't feel safe and secure in their own home. We've mentioned flooding a few weeks ago. Many of my constituents, other people's constituents, had their homes destroyed by dirty water. Will the Government be bringing forward emergency repair work to help make these homes habitable again, particularly as people will have to be spending a lot more time at home? Obviously, the current virus crisis is focusing minds, but people who've been affected by the floods can't be forgotten about either—I'm not suggesting for a moment that they will be.
In terms of housing more generally, could I ask if the Welsh Government will be mandating councils to give council tax and rent relief for anyone who's self-isolating and unable to get to work? As well, in order to help anyone who faces almost the double terror of this virus and also potential homelessness, will you be bringing forward legislation to suspend the use of section 21 of the Housing Act 1996, so that people cannot be facing evictions during this period because of their contracting this virus? I'd ask for any other information that you'd be making available, but I hear and welcome what you said in terms of the support being made available for people who are homeless already and also the third sector workers who help people who are homeless. If there's any further information that will come out in the coming weeks, or days, even, I'd be grateful to see it.
Now, looking to another group who could face entrenched poverty as a result of the virus, we've been talking in the Chamber already about the uncertainty about if and when schools will close. Can you tell us exactly what provision is going to be made available for children, if schools close, who would otherwise have been reliant on free school meals? It seems to me that that is something that local authorities could well be helping with, to co-ordinate, and it's something that I know a lot of parents and teachers have written to me about, expressing real concern about that.
Again, I know that the coming weeks are going to be worrying for everyone in society, but perhaps some of the people who are most at risk and we don't immediately think about are people who are victims of domestic abuse, whether they live in refuges or whether they are living with the perpetrator in a coercive and controlling relationship, and they are going to be facing self-isolation with the perpetrator and the abuse could escalate. I appreciate this isn't something that is directly related to your role, but is there anything that local authorities could be doing in terms of a helpline or some kind of extra provision, in a complementary way to what I was asking about in terms of support or reassurance for people who are experiencing loneliness? Could something more targeted be made available for victims of domestic abuse?
Finally, Minister, a number of by-elections are meant to be held in the coming weeks. I know that there's one in Swansea West, there was one that was meant to happen in Caerphilly. Could you confirm, please, that these by-elections will definitely be postponed until we're on the other side of this crisis?