We should not be sanguine about coronavirus rates in any part of the country. We are regularly encouraged to listen to a range of people, which other speakers referred to. I think people should listen to Dave and to Lisa, the critical care consultant and lead nurse who spoke on Channel 4 news last night about the position in Prince Charles Hospital. Part of what we have to persuade our country to do is to help our NHS to help us. That is about changing behaviour, about living our lives differently, and recognising the impact isn't just on the number of beds that are occupied by coronavirus patients, it's about the direct impact on our staff, what they have gone through this year, and the impact that will have upon them and their willingness and ability to carry on serving us for years into the future.

I won't seriously address the comments in a democratic Parliament about the Government acting like a dictatorship; there is some irony there that I don't think the mentioners of that word particularly understood. 

On the targeting of lockdown—the comments that Angela Burns made—to be fair, after she left the health brief, the Conservatives have broadly opposed the measures that we've brought in and, of course, the TAG advice on national measures. And I can say that the balance between lives and livelihoods continues to underpin our approach. I should say that Andrew R.T. Davies referred to there being one briefing for him and Rhun ap Iorwerth as spokespeople; I've provided regular briefings to the health committee for some time now, and it's a matter of fact that Andrew R.T. Davies has chosen not to attend more than half of those briefings. He can hardly complain about not having access to information from me, the chief scientific adviser and the chief medical officer if he chooses not to attend. To be fair to Rhun ap Iorwerth and Dai Lloyd and other members of the committee, they regularly do attend and engage in those briefings. 

I'm pleased that Dai Lloyd mentioned the socioeconomic grain of the COVID—that is very much true. It's a matter of fact that, over the last month or so, we do have higher excess death rates in Wales than England. That is undeniably true, and that underpins the seriousness of our position and why we are taking action and why we may need to take more action in the future. But, actually, over the course of this pandemic, you would have expected Wales to have had higher death rates than England because, compared to the whole of England, Wales is older, poorer and sicker—all significant factors in COVID mortality. And yet, in excess death rates over the course of the pandemic, there is a material difference, with Wales having a lower excess death rate than England, and that is the reality of the whole course of this pandemic. And, again, part of the reason for us acting is to make sure that we do not have an increasing tide of excess deaths during a long and difficult winter.

I found the comments from David Rowlands to be dangerous, irresponsible, and virtually every fact or claim he made was wrong. One of the key ones to highlight is that COVID is much more deadly than flu, and claims to the contrary are simply wrong. 

I welcome the broadly serious comments of Suzy Davies and Nick Ramsay. There are no easy answers, as Nick Ramsay mentioned. The Welsh Government does listen to expert advice and then decide, as we have done. We've published the TAG evidence, and that should be considered and not simply dismissed. When it comes to the evidence we are receiving, it comes from Public Health Wales, every single public health director and our chief medical officers and the technical advisory group itself. 

I welcome the comments that Huw Irranca-Davies made on the analysis and the preventable deaths. I know he speaks as someone who is a former licensee, so someone who understands much about the trade and the difficult position that many people find themselves in. We are doing more—and Ken Skates, doing more—about the work that we're doing to have automatic payments, in conjunction with the local government Minister, and arrangements are in place to do that. I thought it was a particularly low point in the debate when Darren Millar chose to be personally offensive towards Ken Skates, who is working incredibly hard, as are other Ministers, during these unprecedented times. 

I should really move to a conclusion, Llywydd, because whilst Members have all had contributions to make, I think it's fair to say that no-one in the Senedd, on any side of this debate, will welcome the new restrictions the Welsh Government has put in place, including those on the hospitality sector. The restrictions demonstrate what we all feared: that the period prior to Christmas this year will not be normal. This is a very difficult decision, but I am clear that introducing these new restrictions was the right decision. It is not a decision that I or any other Minister has enjoyed at any time, because we understand the impact, but the Welsh Government has had to respond to a rise in cases in a way that SAGE clearly recommends, based on the consideration of the approach in England and Scotland of what has actually worked. And in reconsidering the seriousness, let's remind ourselves again: the rate today in Wales is 348 per 100,000. There are 400 more beds occupied in our national health service treating people with coronavirus compared to the April peak.

I know that the business restrictions will cause harm and frustration, and, as a health Minister, I know that harm is very real, and I never forget the reality that economic harm will lead to health harm. Angela Burns said that businesses may not return, and she is right. However, the balance we have to strike is the reality that, without action, the clear advice we have is that many lives will be lost, lives that do not need to be lost, lives that, unlike businesses, cannot return.

We regularly and openly consider the impact of each of our restrictions on different people—that's not just in the equality impact assessment, but in the range of people and activities, and the intrusion that we make into people's lives. Each choice comes with harm. Ministers have to choose, as does this Senedd—and I'll end here, Llywydd—and I think particularly carefully of Alun Davies's comments about feeling the weight of responsibility on his shoulders as a Member of this Senedd, and I can tell you that is a weight that every single Minister in this Government feels in understanding the impact of the choices we make on the lives that we seek to save, and we seek to persuade people to behave differently. With the vaccine becoming available to help save lives and to protect people, the time that will take should redouble our collective commitment across the nation to do what we should do to keep ourselves and each other safe through all that we should do to keep Wales safe. I ask Members to support the Government today.