Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:21 pm on 29 April 2020.
Thank you for that, Minister. Turning to local government, local authorities have reported that it's difficult for them to plan how they're going to be distributing PPE because they don't know in advance how much they're going to be getting, so could you tell us when the Welsh Government will be in a position to tell them in advance how much stock they'll be able to distribute to care homes and so on?
And, on a related point, local authorities are reporting substantial losses of income as a result of this unprecedented crisis. Could you—and I know that you did refer to this in your statement—assure those leaders that they'll receive any money relating to COVID-19 that they would need to provide essential services? And are you in a position to be able to say that you would cover all COVID-19 costs? And what would you say to council leaders who have said that they have had to take out loans to deal with the crisis?
Finally, Minister, turning to recovery, local authorities are, of course, the bodies that are responsible for social care, as well as town centres and regeneration, so they're obviously going to have an important part to play in recovery. What discussions is Welsh Government having with local authorities about that? I completely appreciate that you are dealing with the crisis at the moment, but what thought is being put into that at the moment, particularly in terms of contact tracing and the role that local authorities will have in dealing with that? Thank you.