The next item is a statement by the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs on the response to coronavirus. I call on the Minister to make the statement—Lesley Griffiths.

Diolch, Llywydd. We are facing a global pandemic, the like of which we have not seen before. This is an extremely worrying time for all families across Wales, including those in our rural, coastal and farming communities. My thoughts go out to all who are affected.

Before and since my planned oral statement of 24 March, which was postponed by agreement of the Business Committee, my officials and I have been working hard to engage with and support those working in our food sectors, on safeguarding our environment, and on ensuring critical infrastructure and infection control continue to operate for the people of Wales.

On 16 March, I hosted a round-table meeting bringing together the views of Wales's farmers, fishers, foresters and food and drink producers. This proved crucial for planning and tackling the immediate challenges across my portfolio. Since then, I've been working to ensure continuity of food supplies, working closely with the UK Government, the UK retailer forum, the food contingency emergency liaison group and the Food and Drink Wales Industry Board, amongst others.

In addition, I have been working with the agricultural resilience group—I met them last week and there is another round-table discussion next week. My officials are in daily contact with stakeholders. The intelligence and outputs from the ARG are feeding into Welsh Government thinking on how best to deal with the impact of the escalating measures to manage the COVID-19 outbreak.

I can assure Members that retailers and supply chains are meeting the challenge. Our food stores are being restocked irrespective of their location. I want to sincerely thank the retail workforce for their hard work.

More than 85,000 people in Wales have been sent a letter by the Chief Medical Officer for Wales because they have a specific pre-existing, long-term health condition, which means they are at a very high risk of severe illness from coronavirus due to a serious underlying health issue. They've been asked to undertake a series of shielding measures, including staying at home for 12 weeks.

On 3 April, I joined the Minister for Housing and Local Government in announcing the delivery of the first food boxes to the doorsteps of eligible people who cannot rely on family or friends to help them. The Welsh Government has made £15 million available for the direct delivery food scheme. The food boxes, which people request from their local authority, provide essential foods in packages and tins for one person who is shielding for one week. In addition, we have now agreed with supermarkets that they will prioritise online home delivery orders for people who are shielding in Wales.

Farmers are, of course, at the very heart of our food chains and our environmental resilience, even more so during this global pandemic, and it's vital they have our support. On 1 April, I announced farmers now have an extra month to submit their single application form, with the deadline extended to 15 June. In response to concerns about crop diversification requirements following the recent flooding and the added pressure of the coronavirus situation, I also confirmed that Welsh Government is removing the requirements completely for BPS 2020. Furthermore, an additional £5.5 million has been allocated to the BPS and Glastir 2019 support scheme, which reopened on 1 April to support those 800 contracts or claimants who've not received a payment. Farmers will be able to apply for support through the scheme to alleviate potential cash-flow problems.

Tackling agricultural pollution is a priority, and I will be publishing draft regulations on the Welsh Government website, which I am minded to introduce once the crisis comes to an end. As we recover from the current crisis, we must do all we can to prevent damage being done to our fragile ecosystems and to help nature flourish.

We also need to remember that, throughout this difficult time, our critical workers are working incredibly hard around the clock in challenging circumstances to keep us and our animals safe. This includes staff in Natural Resources Wales, Animal and Plant Health Agency, local authorities, water companies, as well as timber, oil, gas and electricity workers maintaining power to our hospitals, homes and industries. Our vets are crucial in ensuring animal health and welfare and dealing with reports of suspected animal diseases.

Controlling the spread of TB remains important, but testing will only continue if it can be done safely. Cattle movement restrictions will be applied for overdue TB tests, but keepers will no longer be referred for cross-compliance penalties. Where a pre-movement test is required, animals may only be traded if they have all been tested by a vet and shown to be negative. The result of all tests must be reported to APHA and guidance on TB testing is being reviewed and updated daily.

Fishers are a vital part of our food chains and our coastal communities, and it is vital they too have our support during these difficult times. As a result of the coronavirus crisis, the shellfish trade to Europe, which is more than 90 per cent of Welsh seafood exports, has collapsed and trade within the UK has practically stopped. We are, therefore, working hard to finalise a hardship grant for eligible Welsh licence vessel owners to support the viability of the Welsh seafood sector.

Finally, Llywydd, Members will be aware COP26 has had to be postponed. However, our response to the climate emergency will continue. This Government remains committed to achieving our emissions reduction targets and producing our next low carbon delivery plan as scheduled.

So, as my colleague Ken Skates said last week, we must work together with compassion, with urgency and with care to get through the significant challenges we face and to come out the other side. Diolch.

Thank you, Minister, for your statement this afternoon. I am a little disappointed it's taken this long to bring a statement forward from you—8 April—considering the length of time that we’ve been dealing with this crisis.

I join you in supporting the front-line workers who work either at the supermarket shelves, on the supermarket floor, or right the way through the processing sector back to the primary producers in the farms across Wales, and also the enforcement agencies, such as NRW, who do so much to protect our environment in these difficult circumstances.

Can you confirm, Minister, whether farmers will be able to access money attached to the economic resilience fund? There is some doubt about that at the moment, and I think some clarity on that would be greatly appreciated. Because, to date, no money has been able to be sourced by farmers who have faced market fluctuations—massively impacted by, obviously, the closure of the serving sector in particular.

The dairy sector: at least 25 per cent of the dairy sector is vulnerable at the moment in Wales. We've seen 15 per cent cuts in meat prices. Also, when you look across at the lamb prices—54p a kilo loss there of income. So, some assurance that they will be able to access the resilience funding would be greatly appreciated.

Could you also confirm that it would be your intention to bring forward the basic payment window to October for payment? I understand that's in your gift and, obviously, cash into businesses is a vital consideration, and the earlier that money can be brought forward, the better.

Could you also confirm that the loan payment scheme that you've enacted over the last two years—to make those payments where payments are unable to be made because of inspections et cetera—would be available this year and that the modulation, the 15 per cent modulation that you moved from pillar 1 into pillar 2, will be ring fenced for the agricultural sector under the rural development plan?

You've touched in your statement around the support for the fisheries sector, and you rightly identify the collapse in the marketing opportunities, especially in the shellfish market. You highlighted that a support package is being put together; could you give us an indication of when we might see that support package—what sort of timeline you're working to?

When it comes to supermarkets, we've had reports over the weekend that, obviously, Polish meat has been on the shelves in many supermarkets, in particular Asda and Sainsbury's. I've had confirmation today of Sainsbury's saying that that was very much a one-off because of market conditions. Can you confirm, from your discussions with supermarkets, that they are committed to purchasing and buying local produce, because it seems an anomaly to me that the taxpayer is supporting many supermarkets through various initiatives, and yet, they're undermining market conditions by importing such products onto the domestic market?

Could you also confirm that all supermarkets—. I think I heard correctly the First Minister confirm this, but I just want confirmation that all shielded persons—it's not vulnerable persons, but shielded persons—who appear on the Government list, have now been passed to the supermarkets that operate in Wales and these slots will be available to those individuals if they wish to enact them? There was a little bit of confusion over who is the lead Minister in this particular area, because I understand the local government Minister this morning was saying that she has had extensive discussions with supermarkets in this particular area. Could you confirm whether it is yourself or the local government Minister who is the lead Minister for this particular area?

And when it comes to rights of way, at the moment, there is discretion, as I understand it, as to which rights of way are being shut in the countryside, and this is causing considerable concern to some areas. What discussions is your department having with local authorities to understand that there's a uniform approach across Wales, so as to alleviate any confrontation that might happen where some people might think a right of way is open and others think it is closed because of the coronavirus regulations?

Could you also confirm how inspections have been undertaken on farms across Wales? And, do force majeure rules apply to such inspections because of the unique circumstances we find ourselves in?

My final point: you have highlighted about NVZs and your desire to publish those regulations on the website. Do you not think, with the market collapsing through produce coming off farms, the uncertainty that is currently existing within the environment across Wales, that now is not the time to heap more regulations onto an industry that is in turmoil? We all accept that one pollution incident is one too many, but to actually now proceed to publish these regulations when they cannot be fully debated and discussed and support measures understood, if, indeed, support measures were to come forward, is a completely wrong action on behalf of you and your department? I'd implore you to wait until normal conditions are in place so that these regulations could be tested and debated in the Senedd rather than published on a website that the Welsh Government promotes. Thank you.

Thank you, Andrew, for the list of questions. So, there's been a huge amount of work done from right across my portfolio, and whilst this is the first opportunity to be able to make a statement in the Senedd, I hope that—. I've been inundated with written Assembly questions and correspondence, and my department has sought to answer as quickly as possible.

You ask, firstly, around whether farmers can access funding from the economic resilience fund. I suppose there are two areas here: I think if farmers have diversified, so, for instance, if they've got a glamping business within, they certainly can. However, around normal agriculture activity, I think we need to look at a bespoke package in relation to that. So, that is an ongoing piece of work at the moment, to see if we need to look at what's on offer within the resilience fund, or whether we do need a bespoke package. Normally, we would look at a bespoke package.

Dairy is clearly a major issue, and, again, there’s significant work being done around that. Recently, I think it was on Monday, I wrote to the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the UK Government, George Eustice, emphasising the need for us all to collaborate as Governments to use the powers available that we have at the moment to protect the agri-food supply chain. So, we’ve been working very closely around dairy. I have at least one or two discussions a week with the Secretary of State, and, clearly, the impact of the realignment of the supply chain is having, particularly on dairy, is significant. I think it was probably one of the first things to impact when the food service sector also collapsed very early.

Around BPS, that is something I will monitor—whether we need to do it in October, whether we need to do the loan scheme again. As you said, we’ve done it for two years now. I still haven’t had a commitment from the UK Government around the 15 per cent modulation; we’re still awaiting that.

The timescale for fisheries, I hope this week—. Certainly, last week, I had a discussion with the Welsh Fishermen's Association, with Jim Evans, and, again, we’re working to the timescale of this week.

You raised the issue around Polish beef, and that was raised with me by the NFU last week and at my regular weekly meeting with DEFRA and the Scottish and Northern Ireland Government with the retailers—it was raised there also. You are right: both Asda and Sainsbury’s have said that it is a one-off, because they had such a demand for mince particularly at the start of the pandemic when I think people were panic buying much more than they are—well, I don’t think panic buying is happening now in the way that we saw initially.

The need for them to support our producers is something I’ve spoken about with every major supermarket myself. One of the concerns that were raised with me very early on was that perhaps some supermarkets were looking at rationalising their products, and it could be the small Welsh producer that’s affected. I heard of one example of that. I took it up directly with the supermarket and it was reversed, for which I’m grateful. So, I think all supermarkets recognise that we need to promote and support Welsh food producers where we can.

In relation to the supermarkets and the shielded list, I lead on this area; however, I do work very closely with Julie James, the Minister for local government and also with Vaughan Gething, and the three of us meet twice a week and have continued to do that around supermarkets. So, you did hear the First Minister right. It’s been a significant piece of work to do this with the supermarkets, because data protection is very important, and I wasn’t prepared to just release data without going through all the hoops that we had to do. So, my understanding is that data contracts with all eight major supermarkets will have been completed by today, and those slots will be protected for the shielded group. You make a very good point that I want to reiterate: that it’s not the vulnerable group, it’s the shielded group. So, as you heard me saying in my statement, about 85,000 letters have gone out; those are the shielded group, and so, for those people, those priority online slots will be made available. Both Sainsbury’s and Tesco told me on Monday that they have about 100,000 of those slots right across the UK.

There has been quite a lot of noise, I think, around vulnerable people, and I absolutely appreciate that, but if you look, we think, across the UK, there are about 15 million people who would be classed as vulnerable in the way that we’re talking about, so the supermarkets just could not cope, obviously, with that number of online shopping slots. So, it was most important to ensure that we have those online priority slots for the shielded people, and that’s what we’ve done.

You ask about rights of way, that’s obviously an area that Hannah Blythyn leads on, and as you rightly point out, it is local authorities that have the powers to close those footpaths and I know that the Deputy Minister is working with local authorities in that area.

I think it’s really important to clarify that, all I have done today is say that we will put the draft regulations on the Welsh Government website. They are not being introduced. As you say, we cannot accept agriculture pollution at the level we’ve seen. We've had a spike recently—you may have seen the press release that came from Natural Resources Wales—we've seen a spike over the last few weeks. Agricultural pollution is not something that most farmers would ever allow on their farms, so those following good practice will not see any major change as a result of those regulations. The information in those regulations has been seen by many people and I felt it important to share that information. You'll be aware of the UKCCC report, and I had to publish, I would say, by the autumn. I did commit to publishing and introducing the regulations by Easter; I am not doing that, all I'm doing is publishing the draft regulations, and there will be plenty of time to debate those in the Senedd.

I thank the Minister for her statement. I would also wish to pay tribute to all of those working within the food sector to ensure that the food does reach us, from farm to fork, as they say, and we appreciate their efforts, of course. But Minister, I have to express some disappointment about your statement, because we've heard virtually nothing new. What we've had, to all intents and purposes, is a rehash of previous announcements you've made.

The only new thing you've announced, to all intents and purposes, is the announcement that you made on the draft NVZ regulations. You will be aware that this is one of the most contentious issues that you have been grappling with for 12 months and more, and it's a cause of great concern and anxiety to the sector. So why did you choose now to make such an announcement, with large parts of the sector on their knees, as we've heard? I fear it will be seen as being antagonistic, hard-hearted and cruel. I still don't understand the rationale as to why now. I understand that it's a draft, and it won't come into force, but the perception out there will leave people scratching their heads at a time when we should all be focused on the work that needs to be done. Because there is huge pressure, as you know, on the sector in the current climate. 

You've said nothing about business support in your statement. You did expand upon it in response to a question, but there has been no clarity over many weeks as to whether farmers would be able to access some sort of business aid package. There has been confusion as to whether people qualify for what has already been announced, and today for the first time, we heard a suggestion that you are considering some bespoke scheme. I would have appreciated hearing reference to something akin to that before today. 

As we've heard, there have been calls to ensure that we can ring-fence 15 per cent of the [Inaudible.] as a top-up of BPS. There have also been calls in terms of dairy, for you to consider paying a standard per-litre price to farmers who have to dispose of their milk. I also hear a number of voices calling for the over-production of milk to be taken out of the market, if possible by encouraging and supporting milk processors to produce more cheese and to put some of that into storage. So, there are a number of possible options, but I've heard nothing from you as to which of these you are considering. If you are considering any of them, I would have hoped that we would have received some of that information today. 

I do note that you said a few words about TB testing in your statement. Of course, the reality is that more and more farmers will have to self-isolate. There will be fewer and fewer vets available to carry out these tests, and therefore as time progresses, there will be more and more farms that will have to be locked down. So, what consideration are you giving to some sort of concession based on risk? Clearly, we don't want to spread TB, but neither do we want to spread COVID-19 by forcing people to have people coming in to carry out tests on their farms. I'm not hearing from you how you're going to strike the right balance there. 

You are right in saying that the fisheries sector needs support. Yes, they have been waiting to hear from you. We know, for example, that fishers in Ireland now receive €350 per week from the Government. In France it's €300 a week, and fishers in Scotland will receive 50 per cent of their annual average earnings for at least the next three months. So can you explain what kind of plan you are putting in place? Is it along those lines? Just so we can have a better idea than what we have heard to date. 

I am aware that the Deputy Minister for local government is responsible for public footpaths and rights of way, but this is something that is of course a concern for many agricultural families and farming families. Of course, I wouldn't argue that every public footpath should be closed, but there are some constituents who have contacted me and they have vulnerable people living in their homes—people who are at the highest risk if they were to be infected by COVID-19—and there are public footpaths passing their homes or crossing their land close to their homes. So, couldn't you ensure that there is an element introduced where there are similar cases that could be dealt with in a more consistent way across Wales, rather than the way that we've heard, which is quite random and ad hoc at the moment? Thank you.

Diolch, Llyr, for those questions. You started with the draft regulations, and you will appreciate it's not been antagonistic at all; I had committed to publishing those regulations before the Easter recess. I don't know where we are going to be in relation to COVID-19 as the year progresses, and as I said in my answer to Andrew R.T. Davies, you'll be aware of the UKCCC report, the land-use report, and what referred to the need for us to do—. We would have been the only country in the UK that hadn't done that. And I know that Llyr always wants to associate himself with action that we take on climate change, and this is a really tough decision—I appreciate that—but I am not doing anything at the moment to be antagonistic, and I can absolutely assure you we are all focused on the work at hand in my department.

However, that information that I will publish in draft regulations has been in the hands of many people already. For the sake of transparency, I believe it's right that that information is out there. There's been lots of misinformation, I think, and I think it's only right that the regulations are published in draft and that everyone, not just a few people, have access to that. 

Around business support, as you said, I mentioned to Andrew R.T. Davies about what farmers would be able to apply for within the current scheme—the work around looking at what we can pull out of that scheme, if you like, and whether there needs to be a bespoke package. And certainly, my discussions with the farming unions—I think they've always had a bespoke scheme, so that was the reason for looking at that. But that work is ongoing and obviously needs to done with pace. 

In relation to dairy, it is important that we work across all Government, and I mentioned that I have written to George Eustice—I have not received a response yet—but dairy is obviously discussed with stakeholders. I mentioned in my statement that I attended—remotely, of course—the agricultural resilience group. There's also the dairy focus group. So, I'm not excluding any options, and you did come up with some suggestions, and I'm very happy to look at any options going forward to help the dairy sector. 

In relation to TB, I think everyone accepts that we need to continue to do TB testing at the current time. However, it can only be done if vets think it can be done safely in accordance with the current COVID-19 public health advice. So, until further advice, keepers will not be referred to the relevant paying agency for overdue TB tests if they or the vet advise that the test could not be completed. And you're quite right, we may see farmers self-isolating and they wouldn't want people to come onto their farm, and we absolutely accept that, and that is the reason why. But we do, I think, at the moment have to continue where possible to do TB testing. Certainly, officials have participated in numerous meetings with the other UK administrations to determine an agreed position on the current advice with regard to TB testing. I reiterate: it should only continue providing all involved can maintain adequate self-isolating and social distancing requirements. 

In relation to fisheries, as I say, we're working up a hardship scheme that I hope—. It's Wednesday now; I hope to be able to publish what we're going to come forward with for the fishers. It's incredibly important that we support them because, as I mentioned in my statement, we've seen a complete collapse of their market.

I think that was all the questions. Thank you. 

Good afternoon, Minister. Thank you for your statement. Obviously you'll know that the farming community is particularly worried about the impact of disruption to the supply chains. This can have a significant impact on the ability of farmers to get their products to the marketplace, which, of course, impacts on the farmers' overall income. Farmers representatives are thus asking for the economic resilience fund, announced in December of last year—and here I echo a little bit of Andrew R.T.'s comments—to be ring-fenced for distribution to farm businesses. Could the Minister inform us as to whether this measure is or will be implemented? I'm sure you'll agree with me, Minister, that British farmers are amongst the most innovative and effective and efficient in the world, but they need the funds to carry on delivering in the magnificent way they have so far. 

Secondly, Minister, one of the great concerns of the farming community is the increase in the number of people using public footpaths, as referred to by Llyr earlier, some of which come close to their homesteads, which, in turn, increases their exposure to coronavirus. Whilst we, in the Brexit Party, would not support the closure of footpaths, which some farmers are asking for, we would ask the Welsh Government to initiate a campaign highlighting the countryside code, which is often being flaunted by some of those accessing farmland. This is particularly evident with people not keeping dogs under control and this aspect is obviously extremely worrying for farmers, given that the lambing season is in full swing. So, again, will the Government commit to a campaign outlining the key aspects of the countryside code? 

Thank you, David Rowlands, for those two questions. I'm not quite sure if you were talking of the 15 per cent modulation. If you were, as I said to Andrew R.T. Davies, we still haven't had assurance from the UK Treasury that we will be receiving that money, and I think I answered the questions around the economic resilience fund to both Andrew and Llyr. I absolutely agree with you that Welsh farmers are innovative and they certainly do need our support and we will be working on what we can do to help, having looked at the economic resilience fund and also a bespoke package. 

In relation to your second point, I'm certainly very happy to promote anything that protects the countryside in the way that you referred. Hannah Blythyn is the lead Minister on public footpaths and I know she has been doing a great deal of work with local authorities. Specifically about public footpaths on farmland, I think the public rights of network—as you say, we wouldn't want to see them closed. They're very important, particularly at this time when we are encouraging people to go out once a day to exercise et cetera. But I think we need to make sure that farmers are happy with the access on their lands. Certainly, again, I did discuss this with one of the farming unions last week, and they were at pains to tell me, really, that most public footpaths on farmland don't go close to their houses and have the infrastructure—so, if you think of stiles, for instance, or kissing gates—that farmers don't use. But, clearly, I'm very happy to look at things on a case-by-case basis. Llyr has actually spoken to me before about a particular incident, which he's just raised again. But at the current time there are certainly no plans to close footpaths across farmland, but, as I say, Hannah Blythyn is the lead Minister in relation to footpaths. 

Thank you very much, Minister, for your statement. I note that you say that you have had assurances from the supermarkets that they will prioritise online home delivery orders to those who are shielded. I have today had two e-mails from shielded families who are not getting that service from the supermarkets and are being told that they're still waiting for a list of those who are shielded before they will do that. It seems to be their response is inadequate already. If somebody is telling them they are shielded they should be prioritising deliveries to those people, pending being able to double-check that that is the case. So, I'd like a bit more detail, really, on how we are ensuring that supermarkets are stepping up to the plate on this important issue, because otherwise, clearly, we've got to ensure other arrangements are available to keep them safe if they don't have family or trusted neighbours locally to do it for them.

Secondly, there's already been a very significant spike in the wholesale prices of vegetables and fruit. So, several things arise from that. One is, it seems to me that it is the role of Government to mobilise a land army of people to enable horticultural production to be massively ramped up, as it is inevitable that supplies are going to be interrupted from abroad, because this pandemic is a global one.

I and a group of other Members wrote to you separately earlier this week about the role that garden centres could play in both enabling people to grow their own vegetables and fruit, but also to improve their well-being, both physically and mentally, whilst they are confined to their homes, and those people who have the privilege of having a garden ought to have a bit more time to enable them to do that. So, is there any information you can give on how we can, at the very least, ensure that the plants currently not being sold in garden centres that have closed can be made available, possibly through schools, so that they can be planted, as we simply can't lose that produce?

And thirdly, I would make a plea on behalf of those children who have no access to outdoor play at home: it is absolutely vital for them that our public parks are kept open, otherwise there will be very serious consequences, both for their well-being, but also in particular if they are living in very overcrowded conditions—the parks are a place where they can go to to escape the tensions that are no doubt occurring at home.

I thank Jenny Rathbone for those questions. So, in relation to the shielded list of people and supermarkets, you will have heard me say in an earlier answer that the data contracts have been signed this week. This has been a significant piece of work, and I have to say, I've been very impressed with the way the supermarkets have wanted to engage with us on this issue. I think some supermarkets have looked at their own data available. So, I suppose if you've got a loyalty card, you know the profile of your shoppers. So, some supermarkets have been a little bit more proactive in doing that. But, clearly, they've also been restricted in the number of shopping slots they've got. I think online shopping amounts to a small-ish percentage of the way people usually shop. So, to ramp it up in the way they have I think has been pretty impressive.

So, by the close of play today, all eight major supermarkets will have had that data list. As I say, I wanted to be absolutely sure that we weren't sharing data that we shouldn't be sharing. Maybe other countries are being a bit more lenient, but I have been really keen that we have to have all the i's dotted and the t's crossed in relation to sharing that data. So, anybody who's now on that shielded list who wants online shopping to be delivered to their home should be able to access that.

In relation to garden centres, obviously they have to remain closed. I know that that will be kept under review, but at the current time they have to remain closed. But I know a lot of them have diversified to online. I've got a seed company—it's a social enterprise one—in my own constituency that is doing incredible work online and has had to take on more employees because they have been inundated. So, I think we can see that people are much more keen now to grow their own fruit and vegetables, and that's to be welcomed.

Around the workers who normally come to pick fruit and veg—obviously, in Wales, horticulture is a very small part of the agricultural sector. It's about 1 per cent. But, again, in my weekly meetings with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary of State and my counterparts in Scotland and Northern Ireland, this is something that we're having to look at, because, clearly, there is going to be an impact on the number of people who we normally have coming to Wales to help us.

And it's not just around food and drink; we normally have sheep shearers that come over from Australia and New Zealand, so there's a whole issue around agricultural workers and the—. We're going to see a significant drop in numbers and we need to look at other ways of encouraging people to do those jobs this year.

I absolutely agree with you around public parks. I think the First Minister alluded to the tensions and the difficulties that people will be getting from having to socially distance, and I can think of nothing worse than not being able to take your children out into open space every day. So, again, public parks aren't in my portfolio, but I'll certainly ensure that right across Government that message goes ahead.

Thank you, Minister, for your statement. As you know, I have been inundated with enquiries from constituents who have been struggling to access online shopping. Those are shielded constituents and constituents who are vulnerable as well. There's been a very widespread perception that shoppers in Wales have been disadvantaged as opposed to those in England. So, I think my first question is whether you would acknowledge that there's been a communication issue here that Welsh Government needs to urgently address with shoppers in Wales.

I hear what you're saying about the supermarkets having the shielded data now. I spoke to the head of public affairs at Sainsbury's myself yesterday, and they told me that they had indeed received the shielded data now, but my constituents today are still getting e-mails off Sainsbury's telling them that this is still a work in progress and that they can't register, and that is just not acceptable and needs to be resolved as a matter of urgency so that the people who must shield can shield. Food parcels are all well and good, but most people want to get their own shopping in and see to themselves, and we need to resolve that urgently. 

You referred to the group that you're in with Julie James and Vaughan Gething. I'm also concerned because I'm still getting constituents who are on the shielded list but haven't received a shielded letter, and not all GPs are taking the same approach to shielded patients, so there's an issue there about people being able to actually unlock that support in the first place. So, I'd like to ask you to raise that with Julie James and with Vaughan Gething so that we have got a consistent approach to the shielded across Wales.

And then my final point relates to vulnerable people more generally, because that is actually a huge group that is outside the shielded group. I've been contacted by people with sight problems and other vulnerable people who've always shopped online and now can't get an online shopping slot. So, I'd like to ask you what you think the solution is for those people, because I don't think it's realistic for local government to be able to take food to all these people—or volunteers—and I would like to see the Welsh Government really working proactively with supermarkets to really boost that online capacity. I know it's a challenge, but, if we can boost online capacity, that will also help the social distancing, with fewer people going shopping in the first place. So, I'd like to ask you what your plans are, going forward, to work proactively as a Government with the supermarkets to really boost that online capacity so that it can meet the needs not just of the shielded but of the vulnerable in Wales, which is a much bigger group. Thank you.

Thank you, Lynne, for those questions. I should start by saying that people in Wales have not been disadvantaged. My understanding is there was only—. On Monday, there was only one supermarket that had got the data from England. So, it was one supermarket on Monday. We had three supermarkets on Monday who had our data. We'd signed the data contracts on Monday. So, as far as I'm aware, we were actually ahead, not behind. So, certainly, they haven't been disadvantaged.

You mentioned that some people on the shielded list—and I, too, am getting a lot of constituency casework around this—they haven't received the letters. It's from people who think they should be on the shielded list. I will certainly take the point up with Vaughan Gething, but my understanding is, if people can contact their GP, they should be able to find out then if they are on the list and when they will get their letter, but, again, I would think that, by today, everyone on that shielded list should have had their letter, but I will certainly raise it at my next meeting with Vaughan and Julie James.

You mentioned also, in the first question, around some of your constituents still getting e-mails saying it was work in progress. I agree that's not acceptable. As you yourself said, Sainsbury's informed you that they have now had the data, so I think they need to make sure that their websites are up to date and I will go off from this statement and I will make sure that officials contact all eight supermarkets to make sure that information is there, because there's nothing more frustrating than going on a website and you haven't got the correct information.

Your question around vulnerable people is a really important one, and I sort of alluded to it a bit earlier—that we think, across the UK, there are probably about 15 million vulnerable people; the people that you referred to, people with sight difficulties, for instance. But, equally, whilst I have worked very proactively with the supermarkets, they are not able to boost their online slots in the way that I think some people are expecting them to do. They're also coping with—. Some of the supermarkets have got 20 per cent of their staff self-isolating. They can't just buy a fleet of vans. A lot of them have managed to increase their online slots, some of them significantly. There's one supermarket—that's Morrisons—they have a huge amount of online shopping activity and they've managed to boost their slots in a way that the others haven't been able to. However, both Tesco and Sainsbury's have now got 100,000 slots that they are keeping for that priority group, for that shielded group.

I think you're right about the food parcels. They are there for people who are on the shielded list that have absolutely nobody to bring food to them. I'm really pleased and I'd really like to pay tribute to my officials in the food division who have done an incredible job to get those food parcels out so quickly. And all 22 local authorities: I thank them very much, because they're our partner in this. There's now a very robust system in place, very quickly, to get those food parcels out. But it's not for everybody, and some people won't be eligible for them. Some people won't want them, and they will want to continue that online shopping, but I think, realistically, the supermarkets are doing all they can, and are continuing to do all they can. When I dialled into the retailer meeting on Monday that DEFRA organised—again, I think most of the supermarkets have taken extra staff on to be able to cope with the ones that are self-isolating and are unwell, but I am very happy to continue to work very proactively with the supermarkets to try and do all I can.

Good afternoon, Minister. If I can just, on today's statement—the mention of the 85,000 slots for the shielded list, and it really is to endorse the comments by Lynne Neagle AM. This, of course, is based on advice from the CMO in Wales, where he did state that everyone would have received their letters by Monday, 6 April. Well, certainly in Aberconwy, I'm still being contacted very regularly as regards people who not only believe they should be shielded, they actually have quite serious medical complaints. One example is somebody with severe respiratory problems, whereby they are just currently on the urgent waiting list for a double lung transplant. Now, when they've gone back to their GP, the GP has made it quite clear and said they've had no guidance, they don't know anything about this portal that apparently exists to GPs, and they've been told, 'Oh, come back another day, or contact us another day, and speak to a receptionist, but I don't know anything about it.' And I've had a number of constituents who have medically recorded serious complaints and would ordinarily, because of the medical records they hold, be considered as shielded. So, if you could speak to the health secretary to ensure that you can then add them, because, clearly, we'll pursue them on behalf of our constituents, but I hope there is some scope there for you to add them to your shielded list.

Now, clearly, Aberconwy has a fantastic food and drink sector, and, like all businesses, because of COVID-19, it is struggling. Some of them are having to dispose of food—it's been touched on by our dairy farmers having to dispose of milk. So, I'd like to know what quick action you can put in place to support our dairy farmers.

Also, another question I have: in light of the new Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2020, which came into force yesterday, will you clarify, Minister, what the Welsh Government regards as reasonable measures to be undertaken by those such as butchers, those who are now providing a very vital role in delivering food, food producers and delivery companies? What are those reasonable measures to be undertaken by those businesses attempting to meet the need to ensure that a distance of 2m is maintained between persons on their premises? Because some companies have said to me, 'We're going to have to halve the number of people if we strictly adhere to those rules. Can we have some guidance whereby, if we're not necessarily meeting the 2m rule, some preventative guidance can be put in place?' Because it's just not feasible, currently, for them to downsize their staff capacity—then they won't be able to fulfil that obligation to deliver or, indeed, to process food.

Another question I have: as you may be aware, vineyards in Wales are classified as farming activities, therefore not liable for business rates, so they don't have a rateable value. What support would be in place for them? Will they be able to tap into the economic resilience fund?

Question three: our farmers play a crucial role in feeding our nation, but some may be negatively—well, I think they all are now—affected by the dramatic falls in farm-gate prices as a consequence of changes to consumer buying patterns and the closure of some food service sector outlets. Will they be able to have some financial support and when?

My final question, Minister: concerns have been raised with me regarding the food boxes that are being distributed. I'm aware of where people are discarding some of this food, because it's not to their liking, sadly, but, more importantly, people have dietary requirements and, indeed, food allergies. So, what considerations have been put in place in the making-up of these boxes to take into account those with specific dietary requirements and, indeed, food allergies? Thank you.

Thank you, Janet, for that list of questions. Around the shielded group of people, I think the majority of your questions were around people not getting the letters, and I'll certainly raise it with the health Minister. I have already raised it with the health Minister—I said in an earlier answer that I've had constituents contact me. But I think the nub of your question was around, 'Will we be able to then add people to the shielded list?', and, absolutely, we will be able to—I can give you that assurance.

Clearly, many of our food and drink producers have had a severe impact from COVID-19, like the economy, obviously, in general. Certainly, I've heard of many businesses that donated—particularly restaurants and around the food service sector—food in the beginning, when these measures came in. Vineyards—I haven't had anything specifically about vineyards. I am very aware of the one in your constituency. But, certainly, my understanding is they would be able to access the support from the economic crisis fund. 

You raise a very important point about food boxes, because, you can imagine, to get those food boxes out as quickly as possible we used the same two companies that DEFRA had used as well, because they were there and ready to go, and it was easier for us to get the procurement measures in relation to getting that food out. So, dietary requirements weren't considered, because, for those of you who don't know, a typical box has a range of items—it has long-life milk, it has tinned produce, it has pasta, it has toilet roll, breakfast cereal. The contents are very clearly labelled.

But one thing I was very keen—well, there were two things I was really keen to do. We've done this, initially, for 12 weeks, but, equally, I would like to see more fruit and veg, if at all possible, going in those boxes. So, that’s something that we’re looking at right now. The first food box went out last Thursday, so I'm not sure if we're still in week one or if we're now going into week two in relation to those food delivery boxes, but certainly by week three, I wanted to look at being able to put some fresh food, fresh fruit and vegetables, into those boxes. So, hopefully, within the next—obviously next week is deemed as recess, hopefully when we come back we will be able to do that. We also need to look at the dietary requirements, and particularly if people have got a health condition that they need to have that. So, it provides essential food for people, but I—. You know, it's great to see those boxes arriving on people's doorsteps. It's very hard to have a one-size-fits-all solution, but I'm sure the Member will appreciate that it was a very immediate need to get that food out.

Three quick questions to finish this agenda item. Helen Mary Jones first.

Diolch, Llywydd. I'm grateful to the Minister for her statement, and I echo what everybody else has said about how important the work that everybody in our food sector is doing, from farms to our shops to the shop workers, and I know that's very stressful for some of them.

With regard to the supermarket provision, I'm very pleased to hear what the Minister's had to say now that all the lists should have been made available, and I was relieved to hear her say to Janet Finch-Saunders that we will be able to add people to those lists. It was mentioned, for example, in the First Minister's statement about people with motor neurone disease who seem to have been missed altogether. Can I ask the Minister what would be the best way for us to proceed, as Members, if we are receiving representations—as Lynne Neagle has, and I have, and many of us—from constituents who are still being told as customers of supermarkets that they can't use the slots or that they haven't got the right information? Would it be advisable for us to write to the Minister, or would she prefer us to take this matter up directly with the supermarkets, because, as so often—I'm sure the Minister will acknowledge—we can get things right nationally, but in terms of them actually working at a local level for people, the intelligence that comes to us as elected Members is very important?

With regard to the food box provision, I absolutely understand what the Minister says about just needing to get this out of the door quickly and I know that it's been an absolute lifeline for some of my constituents. The Minister referred to local authorities as a key partner in all of this. I wonder if, as the scheme goes on, she could envisage them paying a larger role in the procurement—with the resources coming with that, of course—because that might be an opportunity. She mentions having more fresh food in those boxes, it might also be an opportunity if we involve local authorities to be able to support local food supply chains. So, I wonder if she’d give that some further consideration as things move forward.

On a different matter, I'm sure the Minister will agree with me that animal sanctuaries play a really important role in animal welfare in Wales, and, of course, those sanctuaries are all run on a voluntary basis. I have had a number of representations from sanctuaries in my region who are pointing out that, of course, their fundraising all depends on social activities, on their shops—all things that have had to come to an end. I wonder if the Minister today can commit to, if she hasn't already, giving some consideration to what support might be able to be made available to them, because, of course, the food is still needed for the animals and there may be a need for veterinary care and to pay for that.

And, just finally, I've received representations suggesting to me that some of the current business support doesn't work very well for tourism businesses—many of which, of course, may be farm diversifications. So, for example, if you're a caravan park you won't be receiving any income, but you won't be able to furlough your staff necessarily because you'll still need them to be cutting the grass, doing the maintenance. I realise this is predominantly a matter for Ken Skates's portfolio, but I wonder if I can ask the Minister today to have some further discussions with Ken Skates with a view to ensuring that we have business support packages available that will actually work for these rural businesses, which, of course, I'm sure the Minister will agree are very important.

Thank you, Helen Mary, and certainly, picking up that last point, I will raise that with Ken Skates around the business support. Your other specific questions, then. I think you're right about our retail workforce; they have worked incredibly hard. We saw that huge rise in people stockpiling and that now has levelled off. Certainly, in my discussions I've had with the supermarkets, they've made that very clear that that initial peak has now passed and they are able to stock their shelves so that people—. Our very hard-working NHS staff, who were turning up at 5 o'clock in their local supermarket as usual to buy milk and bread and couldn't do that, that's now passed, and you should now be able to shop in a normal way. I'm very pleased that supermarkets have also had those protected slots for our NHS workers, who absolutely needed them, and also for the elderly in the beginning, but that now obviously has changed, and also the social care sector. I think many supermarkets have ensured they've had those protected slots for social care workers as well.

I do think there was an inconsistency, also, around—and this would have led, as well, to our retail workers finding it stressful—protection for themselves. So, for those of us that go to supermarkets, we will see now that most of the supermarkets have screens in place, and, again, all the supermarkets assured me that, by the end of last week, those screens would be in place.

Around the food boxes, I hear what Helen Mary says about local authorities, but I think we've asked a huge amount of our local authorities, and I'm really grateful for the work that they've done. As I say, we've got a very robust system in place. All 22 local authorities are signed up to the food box delivery scheme. Every day, I receive the latest numbers of how many food packages have gone out in each local authority every day. I think in Merthyr Tydfil it was over 400, up until yesterday. In some local authorities, it is not so much, but everybody is signed up to it now, which I think is really important.

Around the fresh fruit and vegetables, I mentioned in my earlier answer that we've committed to these boxes for 12 weeks, but throughout those 12 weeks, we can look at ensuring there are more fruit and vegetables in those boxes, for instance. At the end of 12 weeks, maybe we could look at using Welsh producers, because I'm really keen to be able to do that.

The point you raise about animal sanctuaries, and clearly for a lot of charities, they have seen, probably, an end to their fundraising and also their trading activity, if they run a shop, for instance. This sits within the portfolio of Jane Hutt, and I know she's been having discussions around support for charities. This morning, the First Minister invited Ruth Marks to update us about the work that the Wales Council for Voluntary Action and the local voluntary council sector partnerships have been doing about this. But, again, I'll raise this point with Jane Hutt.

I'm not going to repeat all those things that people have asked, except for on footpaths. When you set out the regulation, there was also a 28-day review period. So, I ask the Minister when she is going to make an announcement, having carried out that review, because in two weeks' time that will need to be the case.

I do want to ask about how we're going to manage getting the crops in the ground, and whether you've had ongoing discussions about the workers' availability, because it's very clear that people who might find themselves out of work might welcome the opportunity to help here. Any update that you might have on that would be more than welcome.

But I also want to ask a question that has been asked, and that's about garden centres and nurseries, and, coupled with that, I suppose all the other downturns in businesses. So, there's a wider question here about how, as a Government and a business support community more generally, we're helping people not to just diversify in what they do, but to diversify in how they sell what they're doing and how we support them going forward. I think there's a clear case here for investment in whatever means those are, whether it's training, whether it's technology, or whatever it is, to help businesses who have expanded, who are operating normally through the current set-up, but need to move online to just be self-sustaining in times like this situation now, and it's very much focused our minds, I suppose, to modernise the businesses. Thank you.

Thank you, Joyce. In relation to the footpaths and the 28-day period, that will be for Hannah Blythyn to review, and I will ensure she's aware of your question.

I think the point you raise about crops in the ground is very important, and I referred before to the thousands of people who come—you know, seasonal agricultural workers—and clearly that's a very big issue. It's not just about the horticultural part of agriculture; it's the other people who come and help us in sheep shearing, for instance. That's another area that's been raised. So, I meet weekly with the Secretary of State for DEFRA and devolved administration counterparts, and agricultural workers also come up in a sort of cross-Government—I can't think what it's called now. I think it's the ministerial inter-governmental group. I've twice attended that UK Government group—that's a meeting chaired by Michael Gove—where the agricultural work sector and workforce has come up on the agenda. So it's clearly something that we're going to have to look at. As you said, there are people who may be furloughed at the moment, so one of the questions I've been asking is: if you have a furloughed worker who's currently getting paid and then wants to do additional work in agriculture, it's important that the funding they're receiving, will that change? Because clearly people would want to make sure that they protect their earnings.

In relation to garden centres, I mentioned that a few of them are now selling online. I'm not sure if they've had specific business support from Ken Skates's portfolio, but I'm sure there is advice there that we could share with them in order to be able to do that.

Before I move to the next question, Llywydd, I just realised that I didn't answer Janet Finch-Saunders around the 2m rule. Clearly, for food businesses—certainly, meat processors raised their concerns with me last week, which I made representations about. But I'm sure you will appreciate that all workplaces have a role in stopping the spread of coronavirus, and they are taking a proportionate approach. We would hope that all such places were taking a proportionate approach, and I know that many businesses have halved—not halved the number of workers, but made sure that the space is bigger. In some areas, you can't do it. So, for instance, a dentist could never be 2m away from a patient, and I think that's a very good example of a reasonable measure.

The Minister will appreciate that for Mid and West Wales in particular seasonal businesses are vitally important to the economy, and this is particularly true in rural areas as well. Inevitably, the bulk of their season's income is now under threat, and it's very possible that some businesses will earn nothing during the spring or the summer. That poses very severe threats for what comes after this crisis is over, and we need to do some forward planning, therefore, about the cashflow situation that might arise in the autumn and in the winter. In this respect, although businesses have been getting a lot of help from Government, such as the job retention scheme, where 80 per cent of the costs of a furloughed employee are paid, nevertheless, businesses still have to pay that 20 per cent figure, and as Helen Mary Jones pointed out in relation to security costs and maintenance costs, they continue throughout this crisis even though there's no income coming in. So I wonder if the Minister can tell me what thought is being given to what follows in the immediate prospect after the summer to help these businesses get through the winter and back onto an even keel, because clearly it's going to take 12 months, 18 months, maybe two years to get over the problems that have been caused in the last few weeks.

Thank you. I think you make a very important point, that this is not going to right itself very quickly. This is going to be an ongoing issue for so many businesses to work for. You are quite right: there's been significant support from Welsh Government for our businesses. I'm sure the Minister, Ken Skates, is looking at this and what else will be needed. So certainly for my own portfolio, I mentioned that I will be announcing support for fisheries, for instance. I don't know how long it's going to be before the market is back up and boats can go out to sea. So, clearly, as I'm looking at that scheme, I need to look at it not just in the here and now, but in the longer term too. But, I think we all have to accept that this is going to take a long time to get over. I thought the First Minister made a really important point about not wanting to go back to normal; I think we've seen a level of collaboration and co-operation that we haven't seen before. 

Thank you to the Minister.

In accordance with Standing Order 12.24 and 12.40, unless a Member objects, the motions for the general principles and the financial resolution of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Bill will be grouped for debate and for voting. There are no objections. I see no objections. We will do that.

Before we move on to that debate, I will suspend proceedings now for 15 minutes.

Plenary was suspended at 16:01.

The Assembly reconvened at 16:15, with the Llywydd in the Chair.