Only the Treasury has ‘firepower’ to protect businesses from Omicron says Drakeford – but ‘no signs’ of help so far
Only the Treasury has the “firepower” to step in and protect businesses from the effects of Omicron but they have shown “no signs” of doing so, Wales’ First Minister has said.
Speaking at the Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister, Mark Drakeford said that ministers from the autonomous nations as well as UK Government ministers had argued for financial support during yesterday’s COBRA meeting.
He was answering a question from Conservative MS James Evans, who asked what support could be made available to the hospitality sector who were seeing people cancelling bookings before Christmas as a result of the pandemic.
Discussing the COBRA meeting, Mark Drakeford said: “The Treasury were there but they showed no signs of offering the help that was needed to those who were affected.
“Powerful cases were made, not just by devolved ministers either, but other ministers too, for the need for financial help across a whole range of different aspects of government.
“I say again this afternoon as I do whenever this question comes up, that the help of the UK Government to mobilise throughout the pandemic, through the furlough scheme and others schemes that operated at a UK level were very important here in Wales and did a great deal to sustain those jobs and those businesses.
“If we are entering the kind of period that Omicron brings it will be the only the Treasury that has the firepower to come in and protect businesses from that sort of impact.
“There were no immediate signs yesterday that any announcements were to be made, but the case for that help was certainly made.”
The First Minister hinted however that some help for the industry would be discussed by the Welsh Government before the announcement of any new restrictions tomorrow.
“Presently the threat to the hospitality industry doesn’t come from restrictions at all because there are almost none,” Mark Drakeford said. “The threat comes from people making their own decisions and seeing the threat that Omicron represents and voting with their feet.
“And that is a real challenge for the hospitality sector. The cabinet met earlier today and we discussed there the extent to which we can mobilise fresh assistance for those sectors that will be affected if the micron wave materialises in the way that we fear.”
‘Uncertain’
Earlier Welsh Conservative Senedd leader, Andrew RT Davies had called on the Welsh Government to provide the hospitality industry with financial assistance.
“Some Welsh businesses, particularly in the hospitality sector, are already seeing a significant impact on trade in wake of Omicron, and Labour ministers must use the £500 million of unallocated COVID support sitting in government coffers to help firms and protect jobs,” he said.
“It’s clear ministers of all colours across the UK are facing a challenging public health picture in an uncertain period. However, any consideration and implementation of restrictions must be evidence-based and have an impact on tackling the virus, unlike vaccine passports.”
Mark Drakeford’s comments come after the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, said yesterday that Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland had their hands tied when dealing with Omicron unless more severe restrictions were announced in England.
Any job support scheme would mean that the autonomous nations were also given a share of the Treasury’s money to spend on protecting businesses and livelihoods.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that the lack of financial aid was a “fundamental point” that meant that deeper restrictions were not possible.
“Each of the four UK governments are responsible for protecting public health in their own country,” she said. “But only when the UK Government takes decisions for England is funding triggered, leaving the rest of us trying to protect health with one hand tied.”
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Now Mr Drakeford, tell me why this union is worth fighting for when we have to beg a foreign government for our own money.
Is your name Alexander Johnson?
He’s had a variety of fake names since his trolling hobby began about a year ago. But it’s always the same style of language and the same fatuous dismissal of anything pro-Wales.
Why don’t you put that on the side of a red bus and drive it around England?
Is this the union ‘insurance policy’ you talked about earlier in the year mr Drakeford?
Well put!
There must be at least one person in the room looking off in another direction, tapping their foot and whistling to themselves just waiting for the epiphany to arrive.
Some quiet sages are saying that is five or six years away, possibly eight for the USA.
In the meantime we should struggle, every one of us, for Indy with Yes Cymru.
The usual … usual heard jot all before .. wonder how long you will stick around Tory boy
Wrong on so many counts. Come back when you get your facts straight and can manage to put a coherent argument together.
We don’t have control of our own money that is the point