8. What priority does the Welsh Government give to improving people's quality of life when developing economic initiatives? OQ57837

Our vision is for a well-being economy that drives prosperity, is environmentally sound and helps everyone to realise their potential. The principles of our groundbreaking Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 shape the decisions that we make in supporting our economic initiatives.

Diolch. The pandemic has left a lasting impression on the communities that I represent in South Wales East, and the impact has been more detrimental in the poorest places of the country, exacerbating inequalities that already existed. As we've marked two years since we first entered lockdown, has the Government considered how economic measures can incorporate measures that would encourage a healthier and fairer nation? For example, in our local government manifesto, Plaid Cymru will pledge to provide local government staff with access to occupational health services, leisure and sports facilities, as well as working with business providers to see how this access can be expanded to employees of SMEs. Is this something your Government will seek to work on in tandem with local authorities? Diolch.

Well, of course, every local authority will have its own mandate in the near future, and I hope to be working with an even greater number of Welsh Labour leaders in the future. But, as we have seen during the last two years, we've worked effectively with leaderships of varying political shades. In the Cardiff capital region, there's a Conservative leader, some independents and Labour leaders. When I think about north Wales and west Wales, we again work with people of varied political leadership. So, the challenge will be the mandate that each local authority has and their choices about how they want to exercise the powers and responsibilities that they have too.

But when it comes to a healthier and fairer Wales, that is very much in line with the aspirations and ambitions of this Government. If you think about the questions we've just previously heard, about the economic contract, about one of its main aspects now in terms of the call for an improvement in the physical and mental health of the workforce. If you think about, from a fairer work perspective, the fact that there's going to be a significant piece of legislation, where Members will be discussing what to do on social partnership procurement and including the central concept of fair work. So, that's central to what this Government's mission is: economic growth in a sustainable manner, and a genuine fair-work nation. So, I look forward to what I hope will be constructive conversations, regardless of the verdict of the electorate and the future leadership of local authorities across Wales.