4. Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's relationship with local authorities during the Covid-19 pandemic? OQ55311

Yes, with great pleasure, Paul. I'm really grateful to local authority leaders for the close working relationship with myself and other Ministers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The regular dialogue has enabled us to jointly tackle problems and deal with urgent issues to protect and assist the public at this difficult time. 

I'm grateful for that response, Minister. I recently had a meeting with the Wales Council for Voluntary Action and the Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services, and they made it clear that some very good progress has been made in administering grant funding through local authorities to voluntary organisations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. I understand that funding has reached organisations very quickly, with little bureaucracy, and so it's vital that this good practice continues to take place post pandemic. Minister, what lessons is the Welsh Government learning about some of the good progress that has been made by local authorities in administering grants? And will you commit to continuing this good progress for the future?

Yes, absolutely. I think I said in an earlier answer that it's been quite something watching us come together as a team in this way. This technology was available before, but we didn't use it. We travelled to get together and, consequently, we didn't see each other as often, and very rarely did we see all 22 leaders in one place, for all kinds of complex reasons. But this has enabled us to meet at least once, and sometimes twice, three, four times a week, when the crisis was at its height, and really share good practice and learn from each other and trouble shoot and so on. So, I'm very keen to keep that going. 

I've committed to the leaders that I'll continue to meet with them in that forum weekly—at least weekly—for the foreseeable future, and that supplements all of the formal arrangements we have through the partnership council and so on. Officials have been able to do it as well, and so we're able to pick up good practice from across Wales and spread it around, which is what we wanted, and the local authority leaders have been tremendous, actually. We've really worked together well as a team. So, I'm very happy to commit to doing that, Paul, because I think spreading that kind of good practice around is exactly where we want to be. 

Questions 5, 7 and 8 have all been grouped. So, question 5, Nick Ramsay.