Part of 2. Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for European Transition (in respect of his 'law officer' responsibilities) – in the Senedd at 2:35 pm on 24 November 2020.
I thank the Member for that important supplementary. I think it casts a very significant light on the situation. I think she's right to say, of course, that women are over-represented, if you like, in sectors that have been particularly badly hit during the COVID crisis, which I think illustrates very starkly the challenge that many of these women face. Many of them have been working in roles that may have not been well paid for many, many years before facing the financial pressure that they face anew as a consequence of the actions of the UK Government. I know that she will share with me the dismay that the litigation strategy that the campaign groups were pursuing hasn't been able to bear fruit. But that does now, I think, impose on the UK Government a particular and special responsibility to engage with the groups that have been advocating on behalf of women affected. I, and I imagine many other Members in the Chamber, have received correspondence with women affected putting forward very sensible and pragmatic proposals for how this challenge and injustice could be addressed. And it's in that light that my colleague Jane Hutt has written to the UK Government, to encourage them to engage with these groups and negotiate a solution.