Chancellor to provide extra £350m to tackle Coronavirus in Wales
Chancellor confirms further £350m to support the devolved administration in Wales tackle coronavirus
The UK Government has committed a further £350m to support the devolved administration in Wales tackle coronavirus, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced.
As a result of a boost to the Coronavirus emergency response fund, the devolved administration in Wales will receive an additional £350 million on top of the £250 million allocated from the £5 billion fund. This takes the total given by the Treasury to support the effort in Wales to £600m, helping the devolved administration to deliver urgent priorities across public services in Wales as it works with the UK Government to tackle the pandemic.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said:
Our public services and its incredible staff are bravely working with immense resolve and skill to keep us safe. We depend on them, which is why we’re giving them the extra funds, tools and resources they need to tackle the virus.
From the start, I’ve been clear our vital public services will get whatever they need to protect this country and its people from Coronavirus. We are delivering on our pledge.
Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart said:
The Chancellor promised to do whatever it takes to help the UK defeat Coronavirus. This £350 million of extra funding delivers on that promise.
We are supporting the devolved administration in Wales to meet the exceptional challenges it currently faces, now providing £600 million from this fund to help tackle coronavirus. This is on top of funding to help support individuals and businesses and will provide our incredible front-line staff with the resources they need to save lives. This means that Wales will receive a total cash boost of almost £2 billion from the UK Government to help tackle Coronavirus in Wales.
People in Wales also benefit from a range of measures that are supporting people across the UK. The UK military is providing both the Welsh Government and the NHS with additional specialist skills and expertise; businesses in Wales have access to £330 billion worth of UK Government backed loans and the Job Retention Scheme and on Friday the Health Secretary announced the UK-wide PPE strategy. This means our heroic front-line workers in Wales will have the protection they need to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
In the Budget on 11 March, the Chancellor set aside a £5bn fund as a rapid response to the pandemic. More than £14bn will now go towards public services including the NHS and local authorities.