5. Statement by the Minister for International Relations and Welsh Language: Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:08 pm on 10 June 2020.

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Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 3:08, 10 June 2020

Thank you, Angela. First of all, on the community consent, I do think that one thing that we need to avoid is to open up and to find that the communities, locally, are hostile to the people who are coming in. That would be the worst place to be, and so, we do need to develop that community consent. We speak very regularly to local authorities about the feelings within their communities and, of course, they have representatives within their communities. I think the other thing to underline is that these businesses don't work apart from their communities; they are a part of the community, and it is really important for them also to make their presence felt, for them to make their voices heard, because they are the community as well, and many, many people who work in these businesses are of the community. So, I think we've got to be really careful not to say that it's us and them and that it's the industry versus the community; they belong to each other and they are symbiotic. They are dependent on each other as well. 

Just in terms of the accommodation, it is really difficult and it will be really difficult to police things unless it's straightforward. So, whilst I hear your pleas about being creative and imaginative, we've also got to work out how we can police the system and allow it to function, and so if we go away from shared facilities, it's very difficult to see where those lines would be drawn. So, whilst I hear you, I do think that we have to get something that is implementable and that we can police, in a way.