1. Statement by the First Minister: Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:21 pm on 26 August 2020.

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Photo of Jenny Rathbone Jenny Rathbone Labour 2:21, 26 August 2020

I appreciate that the pandemic has been a terrible tragedy for many families, but it is also an opportunity for us all to rethink the way we live our lives. Just as the coronavirus pandemic hasn't gone away, nor indeed has the climate emergency or the obesity emergency. So, I'm delighted that there's a company called GOiA who's going to be trialling e-scooters in Cardiff very shortly, which will give opportunities for people who live in the uplands of my constituency to have a real alternative to getting around to the motor car. But young people ought to be able to get uphill under their own steam, and I know that the Welsh Government has done a great deal to assist third sector organisations to help people fix up old bicycles lying around in garages and back gardens. But not everybody has that luxury, and I'm very pleased that at least one secondary school in my constituency has attempted to bulk buy everyday bicycles for its pupils, but has found this completely impossible because there is such a shortage of bicycles. High-street manufacturers report that as soon as a bike comes back because it's not satisfactory, it goes out the same day. There are significant waiting times for bicycles manufactured abroad because of the pandemic and because of delivery delays.

So, I just wondered what the Welsh Government can do to help people really change the way they operate. And with pupils returning to school next week, what can the Welsh Government do to combat the misnomered 'school run' to maximise the number of people who are walking, scooting or cycling to school?