6 | Welsh Government Annual Report 2020
2016-21 – COVID-19, Brexit and Constitutional Change The past five years have been marked by unprecedented changes and challenges across Welsh society and our economy. The COVID-19 pandemic has turned people’s lives upside down throughout Wales and has dominated the work of the Welsh Government and public services in Wales – just as it has in the other nations of the UK and across the world. Every lever at our disposal has been used to protect lives and livelihoods as we have done everything in our power to keep Wales safe in the face of a public health emergency on a scale which none of us have experienced in our lifetimes. During this term, we have had the Brexit referendum and we have left the European Union. Much of this term has been consumed by preparing to leave the EU, including making sure our laws operate outside the EU. For a very long time, we have been working to mitigate the very real threat of a no-deal scenario, which would have been catastrophic for Welsh businesses and the Welsh economy. This Senedd term has also seen significant constitutional shifts, including the Wales Act 2017 and the introduction of the Welsh Revenue Authority to manage devolved taxes in Wales.
Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales Since early 2020, the Welsh Government has mobilised its resources to respond to the global COVID-19 pandemic. It has been an unprecedented event, with huge impacts on the lives of every single one of us. The Welsh Government has been almost entirely responsible for handling the pandemic response in Wales, working in partnership with the four nations whilst leading on our substantial devolved responsibilities. This has been a challenge unprecedented in the two decades of devolution to date.
Ministers have taken far-reaching decisions, balancing the need to protect lives, with the need to protect livelihoods. At every step, we have engaged with the Welsh public, explaining clearly and honestly the very serious situation we face as a nation. When we have had to place restrictions on people’s lives, we have followed the science and set out why these are necessary, to protect the NHS and save lives. The scope and scale of the pandemic has had an impact on every part of the Welsh Government’s work. Our NHS and care system has responded magnificently to the biggest challenge in its history, saving lives and protecting health. But this has come at a tremendous cost. Frontline staff have faced extreme pressures in very difficult circumstances over many months and routine treatment has had to be postponed. The NHS has been allocated over £1.5bn in 2020‑21 to ensure it has the funding it needs to deal with the health impact of the pandemic. This includes additional funding to develop NHS Wales Test Trace Protect, to puchase PPE at an unprecedented scale and to rollout the biggest vaccination programme the country has ever seen. Our local authorities have been at the forefront of the crisis response, working hard to keep the services we all rely on running. We have made more than £1bn available for local authority services to help sustain provision for those who need it most. The Welsh economy, like that of the UK as a whole, has been profoundly affected by the pandemic. We have put in place the most generous package of business support anywhere in the UK, including specific and tailored support for sectors worst affected, such as hospitality and tourism. Overall, we have made more than £2bn available to support businesses, including establishing our bespoke Economic Resilience Fund, which has helped to safeguard jobs. The pandemic continues to affect every single one of us. Helping people has been at the core of our response as a government. We have provided
