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

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:21 pm on 29 April 2020.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 2:21, 29 April 2020

Llywydd, once again I simply reject this constant assumption that our job in Wales is to judge ourselves against what somebody else is doing elsewhere. What happens in a different part of the United Kingdom is not a template for Wales, and we're not to be judged against actions that other people choose to take in other parts of the United Kingdom. What we do is to make decisions in a way that meets Welsh needs, Welsh circumstances and our ability to respond to them.

The domestic violence issue is a really serious one. We know from evidence across the world that there is an upswing in domestic violence during periods of lockdown, as we have seen. There is nobody better placed than the Deputy Minister Jane Hutt, the founder of Welsh Women's Aid herself 30 years and more ago, to be in conversations with that sector to understand their needs and to make sure that we are doing everything we can to respond to them.

We have indeed announced £6.3 million additional funding for hospices in Wales. Hospices in Wales are funded in a different way to the way they are in England. It's a very important part of our landscape here in Wales, with a huge voluntary effort that is very much appreciated and has been very well supported by the Welsh Government through the work that we have done, and through the work that Baroness Ilora Finlay has done on our behalf. Again, we have regular, close and, I think, productive dialogue with that sector here in Wales, and we devise solutions that are right for them and right for us in Wales.