The Chancellor of the Exchequer – Rishi Sunak MP – has today (April 13) announced a further financial package to help shore up public services during the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.

The Chancellor announced today that Wales will receive an additional £350 million as a result of UK Government spending from the emergency response fund. This brings the total pledged to Wales because of the pandemic to nearly £2 billion. In total, some £14 billion has been allocated to public services to help fight Coronavirus.

Welcoming the additional funding, Paul Davies AM – the Leader of the Opposition – said:

“All those working in our public services are doing an incredible job with immense dedication and skill to keep us safe, and this additional funding package of £350 million for Wales will further bolster their ability to tackle this pandemic.

“Added to the £250m from the Chancellor’s initial £5 billion released, this means Wales will receive well over half a billion pounds of extra funding specifically for public services, and nearly £2 billion in total to combat Coronavirus.

“However, during these unprecedented times, we Welsh Conservatives – the party of opposition – must be more resolute than ever to scrutinise the performance of the First Minister and his Cabinet.

“Therefore, there must be clarity and transparency from the Welsh Labour administration as to how it intends to allocate the this funding of £600m from the UK Government.

“Let me be absolutely clear: our frontline public-sector workers expect and need the best equipment and resources possible as they battle to protect us and our country from Coronavirus, and so I look forward to hearing from the First Minister what plans he and his colleagues have, and in what timeframe, to allocate the additional £350m.”