Part of 4. Questions to the Senedd Commission – in the Senedd at 4:23 pm on 23 September 2020.
Thank you very much, Janet. Just on the first point about the target for Welsh-procured products, we have to bear in mind that things like Microsoft and quite a lot of the kit that's probably even in this Chamber just can't be procured from Wales. So, the target of 43 per cent was set as a realistic and achievable target, which, of course, I think I should put you all on notice, is likely to be affected by the fact that we've been shut down for some time, and just simple things like buying food for the canteen just hasn't been possible. But it remains a target; it's a target we intend to hit, if we possibly can, despite COVID, but I'm just hoping that we'll be able to do that.
On the second point, can I just congratulate the NFU and actually, Janet, you yourself, for raising this campaign about using Welsh wool? As you said, the Commission has got targets for both greater procurement from within Wales, but it also has sustainability goals as well, and the use of natural product within the building—buildings, I should say—is something that we should seriously consider. The suggestion you make could be a valuable contribution for both those target areas.
I do need to add, of course, that we need to use our resources wisely—it's one of our strategic goals—so, we would need to be sure that Welsh wool products could meet the spec for long life, high use and efficient cleaning and reasonable cost, and if those products exist, or will exist, then I'm sure we would be very interested to hear about them. Thank you.