7. Statement by the First Minister: Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 10:25 am on 24 March 2020.

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Photo of Siân Gwenllian Siân Gwenllian Plaid Cymru 10:25, 24 March 2020

(Translated)

May I turn now to the important questions that do arise? First of all, the new guidance published yesterday stating that people should not travel unless it is to carry out essential work or when it is not possible to work from home. This therefore means that many people working freelance will continue to travel and to work, likewise those in the building profession, mechanics and dozens of other professions.

I do think that we need clarity on this issue, and certainly we need clarity as a matter of urgency on the construction industry. As we speak, I see pictures of queues forming outside companies selling building materials, both to the public and to the construction industry. Builders are turning up to work today because they can't do that kind of work from home, of course they can't.

Many of the construction companies will be unwilling to send their workforce home unless there is an order from Government to close down these sites. Now, in having that direction in place, they would then qualify for Government assistance, which would pay 80 per cent of the workforce salaries. Now, for example, there could be an order to close a canteen on a building site, which to all intents and purposes would mean that the site would have to be closed too.

In a sector where health and safety is a priority, these workers will be working close together, and it's totally unacceptable to ask these people to put their health at risk and their colleagues' health at risk. I'd be very grateful if you could provide some clarity on those points.

In the Prime Minister's statement, there was no mention at all of additional support for the self-employed, freelance workers and those on zero-hours contracts. Now, in the absence of any further detail, will you as a Government—as the Welsh Government—commit to pay a basic income to workers in these categories? This is the principled thing to do and, in implementing it, you will receive our full support.

I support your statement of yesterday, which meant that caravan sites would have to close as well as tourist attractions. What steps are in place to ensure that people do comply with that direction not to travel?

In turning now to another concern that's been raised with me by a number of people over the past few days: the fact that NHS workers and even more people working in the care in the community sector don't have the necessary equipment that they need to safeguard them personally and to safeguard those that they care for. This is a cause of huge concern and is unacceptable. When will we have an assurance that everyone will be able to access appropriate equipment? Have you looked at the possibility of using military equipment for this work?

Now, in turning to education—forgive me, I do know that it isn't specifically your responsibility, but there are questions arising here too—if I could start with children in receipt of free school meals, you have said that they will continue to receive food, but how? That can vary from school to school, according to my understanding of the situation. Do you agree with me that giving vouchers to be spent in local shops is the fairest way of acting, in terms of dealing with the stigma of children having to get packed lunches from schools? Vouchers would also reduce unnecessary travel.

You say in the guidance provided by the education department:

'If one parent is a critical worker but the other parent is not then the other parent should provide safe alternative arrangements at home when possible.'

Those words 'when possible': what does that mean? This is creating some confusion for people.

And in terms of learning, for the pupils, of course, who want to continue to learn during this time, there is much activity that can happen online and we are very grateful to the teachers providing that material. But, of course, not every child and not every pupil will have their own laptop. They often have to share. If it had happened at my house, with four children and myself all working from home, then it would have been very difficult for everyone to get by using just the one laptop. And not every home has broadband, of course; not every home has an internet connection.

So, do you agree with Plaid Cymru that every child that doesn’t have a laptop should be given one and every home should have a connection to the internet? Will you work with Openreach to deal with the problem of slow broadband in rural areas? There are some children who can’t get online at all because of problems with broadband. There is a specific concern about the early years sector and childcare sectors. Can you guarantee that financial support will remain in place for all sorts of providers? We do need some clarity on that.

It will be a time of getting used to some very far-reaching changes to our daily lives. For many, it’s also a period of financial uncertainty, but for each and every one of us, the need to ensure that we deal with the virus and prevent its spread is a priority, and we will work constructively with you in that great effort. Thank you.