Pilot Test Events

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:14 pm on 26 May 2021.

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Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 2:14, 26 May 2021

Well, I thank Jack Sargeant for that. He's right, of course: there's more than one sort of pilot going on in north Wales at the moment. And congratulations, of course, to the good people of Connah's Quay on the success that the Nomads have had this season.

The pilots, Llywydd, that Jack Sargeant refers to are the pilots that we are carrying out to provide additional help beyond the £500 self-isolation payment that we make to people who we ask to self-isolate, for their own protection and the protection of others, and where they don't have sufficient income to make that possible. Now, what we've learnt is, from work already carried out in the Cwm Taf area, that there are other forms of help that you can add to the money that make a difference to people's ability to self-isolate in the way that we would like them to do. Sometimes that's immediate help, with food and with fuel poverty; sometimes it's help with longer term issues such as mental health support and digital exclusion.

There are going to be five pilots across north Wales. The one in Holyhead has already begun—I'm sure that the local Member will know that it's operating out of the Citizens Advice office in Holyhead—and on 7 June and 14 June, further pilots will begin. They're designed to offer further help to people, to make sure that those for whom self-isolation is a greater challenge than others get not just the money that we're able to provide, but extra support to make that experience more manageable for them. We learn a lot from the pilots, and then the things that are successful and make a difference—the plan will be to do more of that on a wider geographical basis.