Welcome to this Plenary meeting. Before we begin, I want to set out a few points. This meeting will be held in hybrid format, with some Members in the Senedd Chamber, and others joining by video-conference. All Members participating in proceedings of the Senedd, wherever they may be, will be treated equally. A Plenary meeting held using video-conference, in accordance with the Standing Orders of the Welsh Parliament, constitutes Senedd proceedings for the purposes of the Government of Wales Act 2006. Some of the provisions of Standing Order 34 will apply for today's Plenary meeting, and those are set out on your agenda. I would also like to remind Members that Standing Orders relating to order in Plenary meetings apply to this meeting, and apply equally to Members in the Chamber as to those joining virtually.

Before I call on the Minister for Health and Social Services for questions, I wish to inform Members that I have received two requests for an urgent debate today on the new coronavirus restrictions due to come into force on Friday—one request from Andrew R.T. Davies, and another from Adam Price. The regulations governing those restrictions today remain unpublished. An urgent debate in accordance with Standing Order 12.69 does not proceed on the basis of a motion. As such, the Senedd would not have had the opportunity to vote on the matter today. I can inform the Senedd that the Government has tabled a motion for debate next Tuesday on the same matter. The motion will give the Senedd the opportunity to have a meaningful vote on the motion and any amendments tabled. I expect that vote to be influential on the continuation of the regulations or not. The deadline for tabling amendments will be extended until 4 p.m. this Friday. As the Senedd has the opportunity, therefore, to debate and vote on this matter during the next Plenary session, I do not propose to call either Member to move an urgent debate to be held today. However, I will invite them to make some comments on the record now. Andrew R.T. Davies.

Thank you, Presiding Officer, and I'm grateful for you offering consideration of the proposal for a motion to be taken today. I understand the balancing act that you as Presiding Officer have in deciding how to push these things forward. I do think it's a missed opportunity. I hear what you say about the Government bringing their motion next Tuesday for us to vote on, but this is a matter of considerable public opinion, and, certainly from my inbox, that opinion has been expressed very forcibly, I would suggest, in my electoral area. I look forward to seeing what the Government have to say next week and, as it's an amendable motion, look forward to amendments being put. But the First Minister did, in his statement yesterday, say that the opposition hadn't put any alternative proposals forward. Well, if we don't have the opportunity to debate, it's a little difficult to put those proposals forward, as a Government statement is for Ministers to be questioned on the statement they've put before this house. We are a Parliament, we are parliamentarians; if we're to be taken seriously, we should have the respect and we should have the opportunity to debate these issues and represent the people who put us here. But I am grateful for your consideration, Presiding Officer, and I do think it is the Government that has missed the opportunity here, and has, in this particular instance, in my opinion, shown disrespect to the Welsh Parliament.

And Siân Gwenllian, on behalf of Adam Price.

Thank you, Llywydd. By next Tuesday, of course, the new regulations will have been implemented. So, what further pressure can you as Llywydd put on the Government to ensure that we do have a vote on the principle of introducing these regulations before they come into force on Friday? A precedent was set with the firebreak lockdown, when there was an opportunity to vote prior to the introduction of those regulations. These changes to be introduced on Friday are substantial, and we also need to see the evidence that has led to their introduction. So, I would ask you whether there is any way in which you can put pressure on the Government to bring this debate forward before Friday.

I accept all the arguments that both Members have put. The reality is that there was no perfectly synchronised solution possible to me. On balance, therefore, I've considered that the Senedd is best served by having a meaningful vote at the earliest opportunity of next week, rather than a debate without a vote at the earlier opportunity of today.