Support to businesses during the firebreak “on a first-come, first-served basis”
Steering away from debating the actual principle of a lockdown, Leader of the Opposition, Paul Davies MS (Con, Preseli Pembs.), turned to business support offered during the current “firebreak”.
Many businesses have been under lockdown restrictions for several weeks (once local lockdowns are included), but support has been offered on a “first come, first served” basis rather than actual need. Even now, hospitality businesses remain in limbo over how they’ll operate under the recently-announced all-Wales measures to be introduced next week.
Repeating the claim that the Welsh Government’s business support package was the most generous in the UK, the First Minister would always like to do more. Further clarification on how the new national measures affect the hospitality sector was due later this afternoon.
Businesses still have to apply for support, but as long as they’re on the list for business rates they should get it:
“Let us be clear: properties will automatically qualify for help from that aspect of the fund that deals with people who are on the non-domestic rates rating for their local authorities. Of course, they have to apply for it; we’re not in the business of offering help to businesses who don’t want it. But all they have to do is demonstrate they were on the non-domestic rates rating list and they will get that help automatically.”
– First Minister, Mark Drakeford (Lab, Cardiff West)
UK “insurance scheme” pays out when Wales needs it
Given the recent surge in membership of the pro-independence pressure group, Yes Cymru, Adam Price MS (Plaid, Carms. E. & Dinefwr) questioned why the First Minister was so adamant that if Wales were independent there wouldn’t be an equivalent furlough scheme?
“Switzerland, Norway and Denmark, Latvia, Estonia, Ireland and even Luxembourg….are all funding wage subsidy schemes equivalent to furlough…so why would an independent Wales be any different….If Wales was an independent country, we would have our own fully-functioning Treasury and central bank, meaning we could do what every other country in the world is doing at the moment to meet the cost of the pandemic, which is borrowing on the capital markets and using quantitative easing.”
– Adam Price MS
The First Minister likened the UK to an insurance scheme – Wales pays in taxes and has taken out of the “policy” when it suits our needs.
He went on to say that it was down to Plaid Cymru to make the case for independence, but he would continue to make a positive case for the United Kingdom, drawing on a wider pool of resources. We need to share the risks and also share in the rewards. He didn’t want Wales to leave the EU and doesn’t want Wales to leave the UK either.
