Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:49 pm on 13 May 2020.
I'm grateful to the Minister for her statement. Minister, in your statement you referenced the food box scheme, and I think many of our constituents across the whole of Wales, some of the most vulnerable people, will have been very grateful for it, but I know that you're aware that there have been some issues. It hasn't been possible to include local food and local produce, for example, and certainly I know that in my region in Ceredigion, some of the fresh food, when it arrived, was past its sell-by date or, in some cases, unfortunately, actually off. Am I right to understand, Minister, that it has now reached the point with that contract where there is a break clause and you will be able to reconsider how the food boxes might be provided? I know that there are local authorities in my region, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, who would be very keen to take up that work on your behalf, and that would enable them to work with local companies and with local food suppliers so that people would get fresher food and would also be supporting local food chains. So, I wonder if you can tell us any more about that today. That’s not to criticise the work that’s already been done, that’s not what I mean, but I think now there ought to be a chance for us to be using that investment not only to support the most vulnerable citizens, which is the most important thing, but also to support our local food producers.