Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Covid-19 Outbreak

Wednesday 8 July 2020 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Welsh Government is making a 500 payment to every social care worker in Wales.
  • Discussions between the UK and Welsh Governments on the taxation of the bonus payment are ongoing.
  • The Secretary of State reported regular conversations with Airbus regarding job losses at Broughton and the economic impact in north Wales.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Rosie Cooper Lab Worsley and Eccles South
Social Care Taxation Wales
Context

Discussions between the UK Government and the Welsh Labour Government regarding a thank-you payment of £500 to social care workers.

Question

As the Secretary of State knows, the Welsh Labour Government are making a thank-you payment of £500 to every social care worker in Wales. Does he agree that it is a kick in the teeth to those workers that the Treasury intends to tax that bonus payment, and will he join me and the Welsh First Minister in urging the Chancellor to think again?

Answer from Simon Hart (The Under-Secretary of State for Wales)

We have discussed this at Wales questions before. It is disappointing that the Welsh Government did not discuss this in greater detail with the Treasury earlier on, because we could have found a way around it. Those discussions are ongoing, and there is a reasonably positive dialogue, but as I say, the answer to this would have been found in earlier engagement, rather than by making an announcement that they knew required primary legislation for which there was not time.

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Q2 Wendy Chamberlain Lib Dem West Worcestershire
Wales
Context

Communication issues between the UK Government and the Welsh Government during the pandemic.

Question

On Friday, the First Minister of Wales said that it had been “impossible” to get a “sensible answer” from the UK Government on the plans to allow travel to foreign countries. At the beginning of this crisis, we regularly heard from the First Minister that he had just come off a call with the UK Government, and we know that ministerial implementation groups were being used to co-ordinate a four-nations approach. Despite the numbers that the Secretary of State quoted, there seems to be a communications breakdown. Does he believe that the Government could have done more to work more closely with Wales and other devolved nations during this crisis?

Answer from Simon Hart (The Under-Secretary of State for Wales)

I was talking to the First Minister about this only a few days ago, and he described the particular occasion that the hon. Lady refers to as the exception rather than the rule. As I mentioned, there have been 124 meetings between the two Governments. Actually, dialogue is pretty good, and in eight out of 10 cases, we reach agreement—albeit not necessarily in the greatest of humour, but we do reach agreement. The relationship is better than we sometimes read in the press.

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Q3 Nia Griffith Lab Llanelli
Economy Employment Business & Trade
Context

Loss of over 1,400 jobs at Broughton in Wales due to the aerospace industry.

Question

The loss of over 1,400 jobs at Broughton is a devastating blow for not only workers on site and in the supply chain but the whole economy of north Wales. What discussions has the Secretary of State had recently with Airbus and Welsh Ministers, and when will his Government come forward with a specific sector deal to support the aerospace industry in Wales and across the UK?

Answer from Simon Hart (The Under-Secretary of State for Wales)

I am pleased to report that we have had regular conversations with Airbus throughout the pandemic and very recently, as well as with Welsh Government and stakeholders in the north Wales and Broughton area. Airbus has reported that the industry has had between £6 billion and £10 billion-worth of UK Government support so far. Discussions with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are ongoing about other areas where help can be provided. My colleagues, led by my hon. Friend the Member for Delyn (Rob Roberts), have been at the front of that, looking at any other areas in which we can help the industry to remain in Broughton not just now but in five and 10 years' time. We are open to further discussions.

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