Questions Without Notice from the Party Leaders

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:06 pm on 1 December 2020.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Adam Price Adam Price Plaid Cymru 2:06, 1 December 2020

While the additional package of financial support announced yesterday is clearly welcome, it does not fully compensate the hospitality sector for the lost revenue over the festive season, and there are other sectors that are continually being locked out of sufficient support—the taxi drivers whose trade in December largely depends on taking people to and from bars and restaurants, and workers in the gig economy, reliant on seasonal work. For so many people, these restrictions as currently conceived are all stick and no carrot, and the support does not adequately compensate them for the loss of earnings. We've had the announcement with Debenhams today and the announcement by Brains; since the beginning of 2020, there has been a 41 per cent increase in unemployment in Wales compared to 18 per cent in England, meaning an estimated additional 20,000 people are looking for work. To protect jobs and in the interests of people's wider well-being, and to sustain public trust in the overall public health policy, can I urge the First Minister to reconsider yesterday's decision?