I'm grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate today, and I can confirm that my group will support the motion as it stands. 

There is no issue to take with public health being at the forefront of any plan to return to some semblance of normality, no issue to take with acknowledging the efforts of the general public in observing the rules, and every support for the gratitude expressed to all key workers who have kept the country going. 

We can also note the publication of the document that is the subject of this debate. This did feel like it was dragged out of the Welsh Government only after much canvassing by the Conservative group in the Senedd. While we can note this document, that's about all we can do, as it doesn't really tell us much at all. We, here in the Senedd, must also acknowledge that the majority of the Welsh public will not have read it cover to cover. I have, and it raises more questions than it answers. Time won't allow me to go through each one, so I'll limit it to three, and these are in accordance with the issues raised by my constituents.

In the early days of the outbreak, there was talk of measures to flatten the curve, suggesting the objective was to slow the numbers of those contracting the virus and, in doing so, to enable the NHS to cope. So, the original purpose of the lockdown was never to lessen the total number of cases, just to make the number, at any one time, less than our intensive care unit capacity. And the slogan was still, and is in Wales, 'Stay at home. Protect the NHS. Save lives.' In this document, you state that we can only move out of the green phases and back to some sort of normality—my word—once a vaccine or effective treatment is in place. Can I ask you when exactly did the scope creep from flattening the curve to finding a cure?

And while I do not seek to dismiss the good intentions here, I would also point out that we haven't found a cure for winter flu, the common cold or cancer, and they all kill too. We need to see some sort of balance between the lives at risk from COVID and the lives at risk from lockdown too. Monumentally difficult, but monumentally important; I'm not pretending there is an easy option.

In the document, you mention more than once a four-nations approach, and yet your Government has now diverged from the UK Government's approach, and Wales is subject to more stringent measures from those living in England. You mention the advice of the Chief Medical Officer for Wales, the UK Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and your technical advisory group. Considering the close working relationships between the groups and the four nations, what was the difference in advice that led to different approaches being taken by the four nations?

I will turn now to public health. We can all agree that this should be the cornerstone of the considerations for easing restrictions. I see much communication activity by health boards, encouraging GP visits during this time as visits are down, accident and emergency department activity is vastly reduced, and elective surgery has been cancelled or delayed. Most worryingly, cancer referrals are down, and we all know how important early detection and treatment is in cancer cases. And the toll on the nation's mental health is extremely concerning, with both anxiety and depression on the rise.

The health case for beginning to ease the lockdown grows stronger by the day, so, in dealing with COVID-19, I would also like to seek reassurances from you that we are not stockpiling other public health issues, like an increase in cancer deaths due to late diagnosis, relatively minor ailments turning into life-threatening illnesses for want of treatment, and that the mental health of the nation will continue to get the care it deserves. We know the massive economic harm that lockdown is causing, but it is also causing massive health harms, and while I commend the health service for coping with everything that's been thrown at it, I do fear that we are saving many other health-related matters indeed for later.

After nine weeks and counting, the public is tired. We must see some sort of light at the end of the tunnel and of the lockdown tunnel here in Wales. Thank you very much.