Andrew RT Davies: Well, there's no need to bite back, First Minister. You have the responsibility. You have the responsibility, you had the money and you had the choice to do it. Why haven't you done it?
Andrew RT Davies: Well, there's an awful lot of politics being played by your Government in particular when it comes to funding and the safety of coal tips, First Minister, but the responsibility is devolved. It was actually your party in the original devolution settlement that devolved this responsibility, albeit I do accept that there are issues around legacy. Nevertheless, this could be funded and resolved...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister, last month, numerous media outlets reported the discovery of the coal tip campaigner's damning document from 2014, which suggested that the Welsh Government at the time was prioritising the economy over safety where funding work would make a big difference to coal tips in the Valleys. This document says that the funding to reclaim coal tips was...
Andrew RT Davies: It is a fact, First Minister, that many businesses across Wales will not be able to claw back the level of losses that they've sustained because of the restrictions that you and your Government have put in place. Yesterday, your chief medical officer, Dr Frank Atherton, said that he was cautiously optimistic that the end of the pandemic was in sight. That's great news, and thanks to the Welsh...
Andrew RT Davies: Well, sadly, First Minister, it is a fact that you did have choices over the type of restrictions that you could have brought in, just like you have the choice to commission an independent inquiry here in Wales into those decisions right the way through the pandemic, which regrettably you haven't commissioned to date. If we take a step back into the real world, reports last week showed that...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister, last week you claimed that the impact of restrictions on Welsh businesses over Christmas and the new year was not down to the actions of your Government. Can you tell me who was responsible for these restrictions, because last time I checked you were the First Minister? Or was it some extraterrestrial force that none of us are aware of?
Andrew RT Davies: First Minister, restrictions were imposed in Wales based on the modelling and therefore you should be basing that further removal on the modelling. You have no excuses not to provide such a plan, First Minister. It is vital for businesses that are feeling the pain with limits on hospitality and mental health taking a kicking with sports being scaled back that a plan out of these restrictions...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. May I wish you and the First Minister and fellow Members a very happy new year and good health to everyone as well. First Minister, over the Christmas period, we saw the farcical scenes at Caerphilly rugby club where only 50 people were allowed to watch the game outside, whereas several hundred congregated indoors to watch it on tv. Your latest restrictions have...
Andrew RT Davies: I'm disappointed, First Minister, to see your doubling down on this, particularly when you seemed to be an outlier on this particular issue. Parkrun is going ahead right across the United Kingdom. In England, there are no restrictions on crowd numbers, in Northern Ireland, caps on crowds are at 50 per cent capacity or 5,000 people, whilst changes seem to be afoot in Scotland. Yesterday, the...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. May I thank you for this recall today to allow Members the opportunity to question the First Minister on the restrictions that the Government has announced? Can I also put on record my thanks to the First Minister for facilitating a briefing this morning for the shadow health Minister and myself with Members of the technical advisory cell team who advise Welsh...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer, and could I thank everyone who's contributed in the debate this afternoon? We make no apologies for bringing this debate again before the Senedd, as Russell George in his opening remarks made it quite clear that the Welsh Conservatives have been championing this cause for the last 18 months or so. It is vital that Wales has its own independent inquiry, and if I...
Andrew RT Davies: We’ve had these preliminary results this morning, First Minister, from the survey in South Africa. We’ve also got the booster campaign, which I’ve just questioned you on, and the roll-out of that booster campaign, but also, in the press conference that the health Minister took this morning, she highlighted the impact on services—general health services—whether they be primary, or...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you for that answer, First Minister, and it was good to get some optimism from that report that came out this morning. Obviously, another strand of work that the Welsh Government is undertaking is the roll-out of the booster campaign, and the health Minister has been doing a press conference this morning, talking about everyone will have an offer by the end of December, not necessarily...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. Today, First Minister, the first real-world study on vaccines against the omicron infection has been published. It's important to note that this data is from the first three weeks of the outbreak, so it might change, but it is the first serious study of its kind. The findings show that the virus variant is 29 per cent milder, that two doses of the Pfizer vaccine...
Andrew RT Davies: Deputy Minister, what assistance are you giving to partners to try and get energy charging points in town centres? Because if you go to out-of-town shopping centres, many of the private companies that occupy those shopping centres are installing charging points for electric vehicles. We know that Wales sadly lags behind in the installation of these charging points to other parts of the United...
Andrew RT Davies: Could I also ask around the mechanisms of how the programme for government will be scrutinised now that there will be designated Members coming out of Plaid Cymru to support the policy development and work within Government? At the moment, there is no mechanism to scrutinise designated Members, because it's a new term, it's a new position. I congratulate Siân Gwenllian, who I think is the...
Andrew RT Davies: First Minister, thank you for your statement, and can I agree with you on your last pronouncement there about the challenges ahead for us, and the need for people to come forward and get the booster vaccine, and bearing down on this terrible virus, and also the pressures that it's putting on our NHS? So, it's always good to start a statement on a point where we can find common agreement, but...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you for that, First Minister. I'll look forward to that announcement imminently, hopefully. But you talked of a jigsaw, and the pattern of healthcare is about a jigsaw and it's important that Government has strategies with its partners. Now, last week, to the health committee, Cancer Research highlighted how Wales, shortly, will be the only part of the United Kingdom without an...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you for that answer, First Minister. It is important that we understand what services might be withdrawn; you alluded to health checks, for example. When might we know the outcome of these negotiations, because people are genuinely concerned? There have been understandable pressures on GP surgeries and getting appointments and I think it's really important that people understand what...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. Thank you very much for the very warm welcome and, with your indulgence, I will pass on my thanks to all Members from across this Chamber and beyond who've sent best wishes to me, in particular the personal note the First Minister wrote to me—it was greatly appreciated—along with other Ministers as well. We can give no quarter yield in this Chamber, but when...
