5. Statement by the Minister for Finance and Trefnydd: Fiscal implications for Wales of the impact of, and response to, COVID-19

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:01 pm on 13 May 2020.

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Photo of Joyce Watson Joyce Watson Labour 5:01, 13 May 2020

Thank you for your report, Minister, but there is definitely fresh thinking that is required by the UK Government because what the leaked report showed was that one of their first ways of thinking was to freeze public sector pay for two years, at the same time, raising income tax across the board, I presume, by 1 per cent. So, we've gone back to exactly the same place that led us into this crisis, as you've already said. That austerity left us ill-prepared, but more than that, we've seen public sector workers in the care sector, in nursing, really putting their own lives and those of their families, on the line for everybody else, and we've seen people, quite rightly, outside their homes at 8 o'clock every Thursday night paying tribute by clapping in honour of their sacrifice. So, I hope that you will make serious recommendations to the Chancellor when you next speak to him, that, in Wales, at least, most people would find that absolutely appalling—that they would take that pay away from the people who've given so much to this country.