Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:53 pm on 1 April 2020.
Can I concur and agree with Angela Burns? I think Angela said it all for all of us: we all feel the same way, both thanks for the people who work and also condolences for those who are losing loved ones.
I'll be very succinct, because I hope to come in on other questions to other Ministers. First, free school meals, First Minister. I asked last week about free school meals, because there are a lot of individuals who are now finding themselves in difficult circumstances, and they were originally—or perhaps their children weren't on free school meals originally, but, because of the situation, they've now lost work, they've become unemployed, and therefore they'll now be in a situation where their children may be entitled to free school meals. But it's not yet clear as to who will authorise that situation. Can you confirm whether it will the headmasters who will have the authority to identify children for free school meals in set circumstances, so that no-one goes without? Those children are in families who find themselves in difficult situations now as a consequence of losing work, unemployment and lack of funding, because they may not be on 80 per cent of wages. I have a constituent who started work on 6 March, having given up his previous job on 3 March. Because he wasn't in his current employment on 28 February, he's not entitled to 80 per cent furlough. So, we have various situations as a consequence. We need to know who's going to have the authority to look at free school meals and authorising that.
In relation to the situation on furloughs, what discussions are you having with the Treasury to make sure that no-one falls through that gap? Because there are going to be individuals, through your package announced this week on the self-employed as well, but there are people who may have started self-employment in the last 12 months that will now fall through the gap and are looking for how do they get income—people, like electricians, who do jobs in houses that now can't go into those houses to do that work. So, how are we having discussions with the Treasury to cover the ones who fall through the gaps that are still there and, as such, will be finding themselves in difficult financial situations? I have very many constituents in that area.
And, finally, I'll ask a question of you on the steelworks—it's a major industry, among many other major industries in Wales—and the supply chain to the steelworks. We cannot afford to have the blast furnaces shut down because, once they shut down, the heavy end will probably not restart, and that's a huge blow to our industry. What's the Welsh Government doing to ensure that industries like the steelworks are able to sustain this difficult period to ensure that, when we come out of this, they and their supply chains will still be operational and viable so that the economies of those local areas can continue to grow?