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

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:24 pm on 1 April 2020.

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Photo of Adam Price Adam Price Plaid Cymru 2:24, 1 April 2020

If I could start by asking some questions around testing? Can the First Minister confirm that—the company involved in the deal that collapsed recently, Roche—contrary to what that company, at least, is claiming, there was a confirmed written agreement with the Welsh Government to deliver 5,000 tests a day? Is it your understanding that the catalyst for the deal collapsing may have been a similar deal with Public Health England? If that is the case, what confidence do you have in Public Health England—which has achieved, I believe, a lower level of testing so far than Wales, pro rata—in their procuring now on our behalf? Will we still be independently sourcing our own capacity in terms of testing, in addition to anything done on a co-ordinated, four-nation basis? Has the Government, for example, approached the Welsh universities, or have the Welsh universities approached the Government, to see whether their laboratory capacity could be used to increase testing levels in Wales?

On PPE, can you confirm that the emergency helpline that you've created for people with concerns about access to PPE will be made publicly available for individual care workers and nurses and other staff, as it is in England? Local authorities that have concerns about the supply of PPE, I am told, are being advised currently not to procure their own stocks of PPE. Can you confirm, nevertheless, that they are free to do so, should they wish? In the case of care workers going into people's homes, should they not be advised to wear PPE as a matter of course to protect themselves, but also to prevent transmission to the elderly and other vulnerable groups?

Finally, First Minister, on construction, the Scottish Government have issued instructions for all non-essential construction to cease at this time. You have the power to do the same here in Wales, why haven't you?