1. Statement by the First Minister: Update on COVID-19

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:27 pm on 22 December 2021.

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Photo of Luke Fletcher Luke Fletcher Plaid Cymru 2:27, 22 December 2021

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Touching on the workers' fines for the moment, if you look at the memorandum of understanding for these regulations and the statement published by the Government on the seventeenth and today it's clear that the Government believes that the relationship between worker and employer is balanced. Thinking that responsibility is shared between employer and worker, with all due respect, First Minister, is naive, and anyone working in a minimum wage job can tell you where the power truly lies, and we do have sectors where trade unions are not as powerful as we would want them to be. I recognise that the wording of regulation 18B has been used in the past, but this was of course under a different context, and, as Adam Price and Hefin David have already alluded to, those regulations under 18B are now set out separately from any general duty that may have been set out in the past. I also of course recognise what the First Minister said in his press conference today that no fines have been issued to date, but I do hope the Government drops the fines on workers. It's the principle here, more than anything else, that doesn't sit well with me, and the onus should fall on employers.

But if I could also ask about business support very briefly, I was grateful for the briefing provided by the economy Minister this morning. I appreciate that the economy Minister will be providing further details tomorrow, but could the First Minister at least provide some information today on when businesses can expect support? There's a lot of anxiety amongst businesses right now who need the assurance that support will arrive in time, many of whom are, no doubt, contacting Members as we speak.