Welsh Government must now pull out all the stops
Andrew RT Davies AM, Shadow Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on the Welsh Government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak
IT’S the duty of all governments in a crisis to plan for the worst and work for the best, and this mantra should be at the heart of all action taken during the coronavirus outbreak.
Public safety is the top priority, and the UK Government is currently preparing various actions to slow the spread of this disease to reduce the strain it places on public services, while developing a proportionate Emergency Bill with the right measures to deal with the impact of a widespread outbreak.
On Monday, the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced the creation of a new taskforce to bolster local responses, ensuring that communities get the support they need to tackle the virus at a local level.
The Bank of England has announced an emergency cut in interest rates to shore up the economy, as well as an extra £100bn of lending power to help banks support businesses and SMEs.
And in yesterday’s budget, Conservative Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced an unprecedented £30bn fiscal stimulus to support British people, businesses and our vital public services through this crisis.
The UK Government has announced a coronavirus business interruption scheme, and will ensure businesses can defer taxes, guarantees sick pay from day one of self-isolation, while the government will refund all sick pay for up to 14 days for smaller companies.
Yet in Wales the response has so far been low-key, particularly when you compare it to the melodramatic reactions we saw from the governing Labour Party when it came to its regular responses to Brexit.
During those turbulent times, you couldn’t move in the Assembly for politically motivated grandstanding and statements on the alleged dangers of a no-deal Brexit.
Yet today, while we’re on the cusp of a genuine crisis, a number of Labour cabinet ministers in Cardiff Bay appear to have lost their voice.
Key industry is already experiencing considerable disruption, yet for some reason these have yet to be fully acknowledged by the Labour Welsh Government through their go-to protocol of emergency statements and suspending Assembly proceedings.
I’ve been one of his fiercest critics when it comes to managing the Welsh NHS, but to his credit Labour’s health minister, Vaughan Gething, has been the one government minister who’s been visible throughout this process, yet his colleagues are asleep at the wheel and failing to acknowledge the impact this could have on their respective areas of responsibility.
For example, there’s been a concerning lack of detail from Labour’s rural affairs minister on what support her department might make available for the farming industry, which could be significantly disrupted during one of agriculture’s most demanding periods.
Cabinet ministers and their officials should be exploring all available emergency measures to help in the event of a pandemic and to ease pressure on pinch-points in public services and Welsh economy.
And after the Budget, I’d now expect to see the First Minister demanding his minister make a series of urgent statements next week on what action government departments are going to take to help people across Wales, from the NHS and schools, to the economy and agriculture.
In my shadow brief, agriculture could come under significant pressure when it comes to grant and single farm payment applications, accessing veterinary medicines and feed stocks to prevent any welfare issues, and no farmer should suffer or be penalised through no fault of their own.
To assist, the Labour Government should make an immediate announcement on an advance on the Basic Payment Scheme, like ministers have done in other circumstances over the past two years.
An application of force majeure should be made to the European Commission on cross-compliance inspections, while stock movements and staffing absences in the processing sector should be closely monitored to ensure normal market patterns are maintained, not exploited.
The minister must also reflect on decisions right across the portfolio, particularly in light of her intention to press ahead with Wales-wide NVZ rules, which if brought forward during this crisis could have a devastating impact on farms and an adverse impact on the environment.
In a disruptive market, it’s also important that finance and liquidity into rural businesses is maintained and the minister should engage with rural lenders to ensure a stable financial environment.
And finally, there should be significant engagement with rural charities such as RABI and the DPJ foundation to support farmers with regards to mental health provision and financial hardship, in what will be undoubtedly challenging times.
Coronavirus will place great strain on our public services and economy – from the NHS and social care provision to the high street and farmyard.
It’s imperative Mark Drakeford’s Labour Welsh Government pulls out all the stops and immediately brings forward a package of temporary, timely and targeted measures to support public services, individuals and businesses in Wales through the disruption that will be caused by Covid19.
No excuses.