Part of 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:15 pm on 16 November 2022.
Thank you, Minister. Garth Bakery has been a prominent employer in Cynon Valley and also an important part of the local economy for over 36 years, so the news that it has gone into administration is a grave blow indeed. This is particularly so for the around 100 people who have lost their jobs just six weeks before Christmas. I appreciate the intense distress and worry that this will cause them, and not only them but also their families, especially when we are facing the cost-of-living crisis, which has seen household budgets squeezed as the price of energy and food rockets and inflation reaches its highest level for over 40 years.
I have a couple of questions for you today. Firstly, what support or engagement has Welsh Government had with Garth Bakery? Secondly, please can you outline the practical measures that the Welsh Government can take as a matter of urgency to help the company's workforce who have lost their jobs? That's in terms of support to find work, but also programmes, as you've mentioned, to retrain or reskill, so that new career opportunities can be investigated and pursued, but also in terms of support to access, for example, mental health and well-being advice and targeted interventions around the cost of living. Finally, Minister, with colleagues I am looking to arrange an advice and support open day for employees of Garth Bakery shortly. I've formally written to you about this, but will you be able to make staff from appropriate Welsh Government agencies available, so that they can directly support anyone from the company who requires that support?