FIRST Minister Mark Drakeford will meet UK Government ministers and the leaders of the other UK devolved administrations today to discuss the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
The First Ministers and deputy first ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are expected to attend the virtual meeting with the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and the Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The meeting had been scheduled to take place last week to discuss how the governments could work together to overcome the challenges of Covid recovery, however Mr Drakeford and Nicola Sturgeon wrote to Boris Johnson asking to postpone it so that “further detailed preparation” could be done in advance of the meeting.
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They said they wanting the meeting to be "a meaningful discussion with substantive outcomes, and not just a PR (public relations) exercise."
Pressures on public services - including the services which are devolved - will be on the agenda.
These include waiting times for elective procedures, catching up young people who are behind in school due to learning from home, and backlogs in courts across the UK.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove MP, said: “I am delighted that the leaders of the devolved administrations all responded positively to the Prime Minister’s invitation to join this important meeting on Covid recovery.
“Throughout the pandemic, we have worked together to stop the spread of the virus and to roll out lifesaving vaccines. Our joint success has shown the world what we can achieve as a United Kingdom.
“We must take the same approach to the difficult challenge of rebuilding our economy and public services from the damaging impact of Covid 19. It will not be a quick or easy job, but we will all do better if we face the challenge together.”
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