Coronavirus in the Rhondda

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:03 pm on 17 November 2020.

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Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 2:03, 17 November 2020

Well, Llywydd, I'm happy to look at the points that the Member has raised, of course, and if there are things that we can do that will make the scheme fit better with individual circumstances of the sort she described, then I'm very happy that we should do so. We've put £5 million further into the discretionary assistance fund here in Wales, to allow it to be able to respond to the coronvirus-induced difficulties that families in Wales experience, and we have already made thousands of payments through that fund and millions of pounds have been allocated to families in Wales to help with coronavirus-related needs. That will now include the needs of families who need to self-isolate. The word 'discretion' in the discretionary assistance fund is there for a reason. It is there to enable the decision makers to take into account the specific circumstances of individuals and families who make an application to that fund. So, it is not a rigid, rule-based system. It operates within a framework that is fair to people and then allows decision makers to exercise their discretion so that the unique set of circumstances in front of them can be properly attended to. If there is more that we can do as experience of the £500 emerges, and particularly if we need to fine-tune it to make sure that the needs of children are taken into account, then I'm happy to say to the Member that I'm very willing to do so.