With effective vaccines for COVID-19 now a reality, thoughts are turning to the best ways to recover from the longer-term economic and societal shocks caused by the pandemic. We will be living with the fallout from the pandemic for some time, with major implications for our economy, education system, health and social care, and public finances.
The pandemic amplified pre-existing inequalities in health outcomes but it also saw public services respond with energy and agility to an unprecedented public health crisis. The challenge will be to harness the same creativity and commitment to build back better and fashion a fairer, more prosperous and a greener Wales.
These papers present the findings of six briefings commissioned by the Counsel General and Minister for European Transition – Jeremy Miles MS, to inform and challenge the Welsh Government’s early thinking about recovery from the pandemic.
The briefings focused on topics that were selected by Ministers and they helped to frame and inform the work of an Expert Group which met with the Minister between July and September 2020. The group’s conclusions fed into Cabinet discussions about the Welsh Government’s future priorities.
The main topics addressed in our papers and their headline messages are:
