Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 4. Questions to the Minister for Housing and Local Government – in the Senedd at 2:22 pm on 24 June 2020.

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Photo of Julie James Julie James Labour 2:22, 24 June 2020

Yes, we're working very hard with Ynys Môn. I've been in contact with Llinos, the leader there who's been working very hard in difficult circumstances. I spoke to Llinos on Sunday, we had a meeting with her on Monday morning and I have another one later today and another tomorrow to just make sure that the situation is under control, and the local authority has the support that they need. There are a series of official-level meetings that include the meetings of the strategic control group, as it's called, and a range of other meetings that go on as part of the gold command structure in order to make sure that everything is in place as it should be. I'm pleased to say that the test, trace and protect appears to have been working very well, obviously, staffed by Ynys Môn staff. We've done it as a public enterprise here in Wales and that seems to be working well.

Contact tracing has worked well and we've managed to contact the vast majority of people who've come into contact with the virus. We're working hard—. Some of the things you mentioned, of course, are in the hands of the UK Government—we're not able to put a furlough scheme in place—but I understand that the Prime Minister said that they are working on local lockdown plans now as England comes out of its easing procedure. So, we'll be working alongside them on the things that we rely on the UK Government for, and in the meantime, we are putting in place a series of regulations here that allow specific things to happen in particular areas, if there is a need to do that. I would like to emphasise that we don't think that there is a need just now, but we're obviously keeping a very careful eye on it. 

So, at the moment in Wales, my understanding is that we have two outbreaks and an incident, which is based on the level of infection that we have, but the local authorities involved are all working very well with us and the teams on the ground to make sure that we have containment. This language is new to all of us, but my understanding is that that's all in place. I'm meeting, as I said, with Llinos and her team with Vaughan Gething and myself at five o'clock today.