6. Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for European Transition: Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:44 pm on 6 May 2020.

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Photo of Alun Davies Alun Davies Labour 5:44, 6 May 2020

I'm grateful to the Minister for his statement this afternoon. In answers to questions, the Minister has majored on some of the themes that he intends to follow, and I hope he does follow those themes. I was very taken with the way he dismissed the nonsense from Mark Reckless about equality. I think it's got to be fundamental to where we are as a Government and as a country. But in terms of the themes, I would also like to encourage him to look at place-based solutions as well. He's very aware, and I know he's read the report from the Centre for Towns that identified my own constituency in Blaenau Gwent, my home country in fact, as well as other communities across the Heads of the Valleys, as being at risk of being particularly badly affected by the economic aspects of COVID. And so, in terms of addressing these scenes and delivering on what I think are some very exciting opportunities that he's identified during this conversation, he'll do so in a framework of place-based solutions as well, for those communities that are facing particular challenges as a consequence of this experience.