8. Plaid Cymru Debate: The Economy and COVID-19

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:51 pm on 10 June 2020.

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Photo of Helen Mary Jones Helen Mary Jones Plaid Cymru 4:51, 10 June 2020

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I'd like to thank all Members who have contributed. In the few minutes available to me to close this debate, I can't possibly respond to them all, but I do want to respond to some points.

To the Conservative Members here, I would say to you: the most useful thing that you can do for your constituents now is to go to your Westminster Government and advocate for this Parliament—our Government—to be able to borrow money like any other sensible national institution at this time, so that we can build back. This is not about saddling future generations with debt; this is about ensuring that we rebuild our economy in such a way that that economy generates enough wealth for us to be able to pay the debts we have, and that is just what every normal country does.

I was touched a little bit by what Janet Finch-Saunders said about the dragon roaring, and I've reached the point where I don't want the dragon to roar so much—I want the dragon curled around her eggs, nurturing her nest, building and making her future generations safe, and that, of course, is what the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 requires us to do.

I don't disagree with anything that the Minister said. It would be really difficult to disagree with anything that the Minister said. But what I'm not left with is a sense of urgency, and that is what concerns me. But I will take what he said on face value, and we will contribute our ideas. This will need to be resourced. We will need the borrowing powers, and we will need to look again at the funding formula, because it doesn't work.

I want to respond a little bit too, if I may, Dirprwy Lywydd, to some of the points about a citizen's assembly. Now, Mike Hedges said in his contribution, and I thought that was very valid, that we didn't want just another talking—he didn't quite say these words, but just not another talking shop for the people who always participate to be able to speak. And then the Minister went on to say we must ensure we mustn't undermine social partnerships. Well, it's the people who are in the social partnerships, who are in those meetings, who can already articulate their concerns, and the point of a citizen's assembly is to add to that. There are models, there are effective models—Extinction Rebellion Wales has one, for example, a blueprint—that are based on international examples that will ensure that it's not only the usual voices, not only the people who can already speak up. And Members have also said that this is a matter for us as a Parliament and for our Government. Well, of course it is, but I don't think that any of us here in his room think that any of us have got all the answers. We can't have, because we don't even yet fully know what the questions are.

Dirprwy Lywydd, what we're proposing today are some emergency measures to start getting things moving again. We need to get our young people working. And 'Why young people?' people have said—well, that's because they are the most likely to be made unemployed at times like this, and, if we don't get them back into work, there is a lifetime effect on their prospects if they're out of work for more than six months.

We need to reskill the economy, we need proper investment to do it, and we need new and innovative ways of consulting with our fellow citizens about how that can best be done. As the Minister has said, Dirprwy Lywydd, I'm sure this is only the beginning of a conversation, but I think the people of Wales require from us more than a conversation; I think they require action. They need us to work now. The first steps need to be taken while we look to what the longer term steps must be. So, with those few words, which is all that time allows me, and with thanks again to all the Members who've contributed—there have been many valuable and interesting contributions today—I would say I will commend this motion, with amendment 3, to the Senedd. It is not enough for the Government to list what it is already doing. We need more. The people of Wales expect more. Diolch yn fawr.