Thank you, acting Deputy Presiding Officer. I formally move the two sets of regulations before us today and ask Members to support them. Once again, these regulations were introduced under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 through emergency procedures to support our ongoing action to deal with the real and continuing threat posed by coronavirus.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (Functions of Local Authorities etc.) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 were made on 9 October and came into force on 12 October. These regulations amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (Functions of Local Authorities etc.) (Wales) Regulations 2020. They provide local authorities with powers to close premises, impose restrictions or requirements in respect of the use of, access to or the number of people on the premises, or to prohibit certain events or types of event from taking place, or to impose restrictions or requirements in respect of the holding of, access to, or number of people attending the events, and restrict access to or close public outdoor places by issuing public place directions.

In making these regulations, the Welsh Government has responded to concerns expressed by a range of local authorities about the powers available to them. The regulations broaden local authorities' powers to make public place directions to enable them to impose prohibitions, requirements or restrictions in relation to activities carried on in a public place, including the consumption of alcohol. This broadened public place direction power complements the restrictions on the sale of alcohol that were introduced in Wales on 24 September. It will help local authorities to stop gatherings of people consuming alcohol in designated areas as a result of the earlier closure of licensed premises. We know such behaviours increase the risk of coronavirus transmission, as the consumption of alcohol leads to decreasing observance of social distancing and makes enforcement more difficult.

Members will be aware that, when a local authority issues a direction, they are required to notify Welsh Ministers as soon as possible. This must include a copy of the direction, the reason for issuing the direction, the location or area that the direction relates to, the organisations and groups of people expected to be directly and indirectly affected by that direction, the stakeholders consulted on the decision on the direction, the date and time on which the restriction comes into effect, and the date and time on which it will end.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 2) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 18) (Bangor) Regulations 2020 were made on 9 October, and came into force on 10 October. These regulations amend the principal regulations, which are now the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 2) (Wales) Regulations 2020. The principal regulations were amended with effect from 8 September 2020 to introduce restrictions in respect of a local health protection area. There are now 16 local health protection areas in Wales. These regulations extend restrictions to a further local health protection area, comprising eight electoral wards in the Bangor area of Gwynedd. The restrictions introduced are the same as those that apply in other health protection areas. In particular, the regulations provide that no household within that area may be treated as forming part of an extended household, and prohibit the formation of an extended household by such a household; they prohibit persons living in that area from leaving or remaining away from that area without reasonable excuse; they require residents of that area to work from home unless it is not reasonably practicable for them to do so; and they prohibit people from outside that area from entering the area without reasonable excuse.

The Welsh Government takes a careful and evidence-based approach to dealing with coronavirus, including our formal requirement to review the need for relevant restrictions and their proportionality every 21 days. Each of the regulations relating to local health protection areas is subject to review two weeks after their introduction, and every week thereafter if the restrictions remain in place for longer than that.

It is evident just how serious the coronavirus pandemic is that the First Minister yesterday announced our decision to introduce a two-week firebreak starting at 6 p.m. this Friday and ending on Monday 9 November. I hope we will have an opportunity to debate that in more detail later today. I do, though, ask Members, for the purpose of the regulations before us today, to do our part in helping to keep Wales safe. I believe these regulations are necessary in our continued efforts to tackle the pandemic. I now ask the Senedd to support them.