3. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:32 pm on 20 October 2020.

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Photo of Nick Ramsay Nick Ramsay Conservative 3:32, 20 October 2020

Can I also ask, Trefnydd, for further clarification from the Welsh Government on the firebreak lockdown? And perhaps the debate later on this afternoon is an opportunity for the Minister to respond. I've been contacted by the owners of Raglan Garden Centre, who are very concerned about the closure of garden centres over the next few weeks. I know that my colleague the Member for South Wales East, Laura Anne-Jones, has also told me that the owners of Usk garden centre are very concerned about the upcoming closure. I appreciate that cafes and restaurants in garden centres probably should be closing as part of that lockdown, if that's going ahead, but garden centres are big places; there are other areas, mainly outdoor areas; there are areas for Christmas tree purchase, for food, et cetera. If social distancing can be maintained in places like this, then why are we having this total closure of garden centres at this time? As I say, perhaps the Minister can come back to this in the debate later.