National Assembly for Wales

We recognise this is a difficult time for the employees and their families, many of whom have been with the Laura Ashley company for very many years in mid Wales. We will provide all available support to those affected individuals in Wales, through the Working Wales and ReAct programmes.

The Welsh Government keeps all the restrictions, including the requirement to stay local, under constant review. Given the improving picture, Ministers will lift the stay local requirement on 6 July, if the conditions permit.

As the number of coronavirus cases declines, so the reliability of the R number decreases, particularly at a lower geographical level. Within south-east Wales the number of confirmed cases per day has fallen from over 200 in early April to 30 a day last week.

The voluntary sector in Wales has been crucial to our efforts in fighting the pandemic. Delivering key services, co-ordinating local support and helping to guide our dedicated and compassionate army of volunteers. I’d like to say a huge 'thank you' to all our volunteers and voluntary sector organisations.

As I said in my earlier response to David Melding’s question, on 6 April I outlined the Welsh Government’s £24 million package of support for Wales’s voluntary sector in response to the coronavirus pandemic. This funding includes both direct support for the sector’s response and support for individual organisations.

We work closely with our partners, including local government, police and HMPPS to ensure our communities are safe. We have worked collaboratively to ensure there is a robust joint response to both protect people from coronavirus and keep communities safe during these unprecedented times.

'Planning Policy Wales' is the Welsh Government’s national planning policy and was comprehensively updated in 2018. It promotes the principles of placemaking and sustainable development. 'Planning Policy Wales' is kept under review and revised when evidence suggests change is required.

We are working closely with local authorities, who are working at pace to draw up phase 2 homelessness plans by the end of June. We have published detailed guidance on phase 2 requirements to ensure no-one need return to sleeping rough and services are transformed across Wales.

We have issued guidance, working with the veterinary profession and existing companion animal welfare groups. We have also established our own farmed animal health and welfare group to specifically consider impact of COVID-19 on animal welfare. Promoting high standards of animal welfare remains a priority, despite the challenges we are facing.

The impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on households already struggling to meet the cost of their energy is being assessed. This will be shared alongside our draft plan to tackle fuel poverty, which will be published for consultation by the end of September.  

Farmers in mid Wales and across Wales are eligible for both the new Welsh dairy support scheme and the various Farming Connect support. Ninety-eight per cent of farm businesses in mid Wales have also received their full 2019 basic payment scheme payment, worth over £82.9 million.

Renewable generation in Wales already provides on average half of our electricity. Accelerating delivery of our ambitious climate targets can support recovery from the impacts of coronavirus. Marine energy, including tidal lagoons, could play a part in delivering the energy ambition we set out in the 'Wales National Marine Plan'.