Part of 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:25 pm on 27 January 2021.
Dr Lloyd raises a series of very important concerns relayed to him by members of the workforce. They chime exactly with the concerns that our colleague Mike Hedges has regularly conveyed to me over recent weeks. I pay tribute to Mike's work and the assiduous way in which he has pursued this matter. In answer to Dr Lloyd's questions, first of all, he will be aware, I'm sure, that the law has been strengthened during the current three-week cycle. We have placed into regulations a set of requirements that all workplaces must observe to reflect the additional risks caused by the new variant of COVID-19. I wrote twice to the Minister responsible for the DVLA in December and in January. I received assurances from her that Welsh law will be complied with at the DVLA, including the changes in requirements announced for employers in Wales on 15 January. In the meantime, the incident management team that operates in relation to the DVLA continues to meet and to provide both advice and to require action from that non-devolved authority. Members will be, I know, glad to hear that Public Health Wales's records show that, as of Friday of last week, there were only five DVLA staff from across its workforce isolating as a result of the virus.