4. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the effectiveness of intergovernmental discussions regarding the COVID-19 response? OQ55979

I have had regular meetings with my health ministerial colleagues, including one at 06.30 this morning, across the UK since the pandemic began. The First Minister has been clear that he would like a regular, reliable rhythm of four-nation meetings so we can learn more from each Government’s response to the pandemic.

It's good to hear of the Minister's early start today. Could I feed back to him that a number of my constituents have been in touch to say how pleased they are that there's a UK-wide four-Government approach to the Christmas period for COVID restrictions, and they just wonder why can't that UK-wide response happen more generally?

We've sought to have more UK-wide responses than not, and it's not in our gift to convene COBRA meetings, I'm afraid. I know Mr Reckless regularly tries to claim that the real problem with not having a more four-nation approach is somehow that the Welsh Government is deliberately running away from an agreement that is there if only we would take it. It's actually about the engagement across all four countries. So, health Ministers have met regularly, but the leadership meetings between First Minister and the Prime Minister: that is the choice that the Prime Minister has made, not to convene those meetings. Michael Gove has chaired most of the COBRA meetings that we've had in the recent past. I think it's for the Prime Minister to explain why he's chosen not to take part in that process, which I think is unusual, given the impact of the pandemic that we are all living through, but we look forward to a grown-up and continuing four-nation conversation, as we believe that there are many strengths in the union if we are prepared to learn from each other. 

Minister, I agree that where we can take a four-nation approach, then of course, we should; but sometimes I'm glad we don't, because we were shocked to read the conclusions of the National Audit Office's report on the lack of transparency in the way the UK Government has procured PPE and other key contracts during the coronavirus, and then subsequent revelations about multi-million pound deals with few checks and balances that have led to COVID windfalls for friends of Government Ministers and friends of governing party MPs. So, I welcome your recent statement about how PPE has been procured here in Wales, and can I seek your assurance that we will not, in Wales, be drawn into any appearance of dodgy dealings or fast-track funding for friends, as we seem to have seen in Westminster?

I issued a statement last week making very clear that we have procured PPE successfully and in accordance with the rules and with proper propriety. There are obvious questions—not from left-leaning publications, but from 'The Times' and others, and those will need to be answered. I fully expect that not just the National Audit Office report for England will have further attention paid to it, but more people, I think, will welcome the reassurance I can give that there are no dodgy deals when it comes to PPE in Wales, and I'm very, very proud of the way that team Wales—in particular our shared-services team—have gone about procuring successfully and in a completely transparent way PPE to service the needs of our front-line health and social care staff.