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

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 11:02 am on 24 March 2020.

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Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 11:02, 24 March 2020

Can I thank Alun Davies for those points? And can I thank him particularly for the way, over the weekend, that he was able to supply information to me, to help us with the decisions that we were making, and to test those against some of the circumstances on the ground in parts of Wales? Of course, employers must abide by the rules. We saw an example earlier today of a sports company, apparently, believing that they were an essential service; I think they've been disabused of that in the meantime. But the rules are clear, and no employer should be pressurising somebody who is not a key worker to behave as though they were.

I entirely agree with the point that Alun Davies made about the self-employed. It is invidious that there are some people who have the protection that the UK Government has offered—and I absolutely welcome the steps that the Chancellor took last week, in a wage subsidy for people who are employed but temporarily not working. We need the self-employed to have a similar sort of guarantee. Our colleague, Jane Hutt, is working very closely with the third sector, and with social enterprises, as well, to learn of the issues that face that sector, and to see what further help we could offer to them.

I agree with what the Member for Blaenau Gwent said about the importance of local government, of course. The RSG is there—local authorities can rely on that in organising their finances. What we have done is to work with them to radically simplify the grants regime, so that it's easier for local authorities to move money between different grant sources, and to be less prescriptive than we would normally be about money being used for particular purposes, where those purposes have been overtaken by more urgent needs. And I think the decision that this Assembly took a decade ago, to sustain a council tax benefit system here in Wales, will stand us in good stead. And again, it's not a permissive scheme—there's an entitlement there. If your income is of a certain sort, and you meet the threshold, you will get help with council tax here in Wales.

I reflect on the point that Alun Davies made about the communication challenge, and it is a challenge, and I think local broadcasters rise to that challenge pretty well most of the time. It's when you turn on a national broadcaster and hear them mangle the responsibilities, as they are currently distributed across the United Kingdom, that I do my best not to allow my blood pressure to rise. But, sometimes, they do get it so badly wrong, and, therefore, are misleading people who hear them, that it's difficult not to feel angry about it. 

Finally, in relation to Jenny's point, Cardiff is facing some very particular challenges in relation to its homeless population in this context. It's why we announced the £10 million early to assist them in doing that. I know that the local authority have plans; they have identified new accommodation that they hope to be able to bring rapidly into use to help that population. But, given the nature of the virus, the vulnerability of the population and the struggle that there can sometimes be to provide help in a way that they are able to take that help, I know that all local authorities are doing their best to respond to a complex and demanding set of circumstances.