Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:15 pm on 22 April 2020.
Can I begin by echoing what Russell George has said and thank the Minister and, indeed, his staff, who have been very responsive to specific concerns that I and my colleagues have raised and also very open to new ideas and new suggestions? I would submit that this is a very positive model for the way in which a Government ought to be engaging with constructive opposition at this time, and I really appreciate the Minister for making sure that that's happened.
If I may just briefly raise some specific issues. I was very pleased to hear the Minister say that the economic resilience fund—he is very conscious that it doesn't meet all the businesses he'd like it to, particularly those businesses that don't register for VAT. I'm very pleased to hear him say that that will be kept under review. I wonder if the Minister can give us an indication today about when that might be able to happen, because as I know he's aware, those very small businesses are ones who may have less put by, they may be more vulnerable and arguably may need help more quickly than larger businesses that might have more robust relationships with their banks. And speaking of banks, I want to particularly welcome what the Minister has said about, as it were, a league table for the high-street banks, about those who are being helpful and those who are not. I'd say, more broadly, I think, that the people of Wales will remember those big businesses who conducted themselves well and they will remember those that have not, and I'm sure the Minister will agree with me about that.
In his statement, the Minister mentions the UK Government's furlough scheme, the job retention scheme, and I know that we're all very pleased that that's in place, but the Minister is aware that there are some issues, and there are some gaps, and I'm grateful for the opportunity that he's given me to provide him with some evidence about particularly those people who are left behind because they've changed employment at this time—their previous employers won't furlough them, sometimes perhaps because they left without leaving a positive relationship, and new employers who would wish to do so. I wonder if the Minister can update us this afternoon about the discussions that I know he's been having with the UK Government about this, and whether he feels that there is a possibility, now the main scheme is in place—the most obvious evidence being payroll—that there is any possibility of flexibility. And, finally, the Minister has acknowledged in his responses to Russell George that there are still some gaps, and I would say, in this context, that when you're making these big steps so quickly, there will be gaps; I don't think anybody is surprised in that.
Now, when the First Minister was questioned about related issues and thinking about where the gaps are and how they are to be filled, the First Minister talked about pressing the UK Government to fill those gaps, and I'm sure none of us would disagree with that, and we all acknowledge, of course, the limited resources available to the Welsh Government. But in the past, the Minister has said—and I think he has said really this afternoon in response to Russell George—that he will look to plug some of those gaps with Wales-only schemes if he has to.
I was interested to hear him again refer to the assistance fund, the discretionary assistance fund, and I wonder whether he can give some further consideration to using that fund to provide an emergency basic income to some of those people who will be falling through the gaps, because we can't make furlough schemes for everybody, and when he thinks he will have an assessment of how many businesses and how many individual sole traders are falling through the gaps and how soon a new scheme might be able to be in place to support them. Thank you.