I think it's good that we are finally having this debate. One of the problems of the pandemic is that we are constantly having measures passed by the Welsh Government that have never been approved by this Chamber. Caroline Jones made the point that, here in Wales, in our devolved institution, we are, far from being a democracy, actually becoming an elected dictatorship.

Now, I appreciate what the Minister said on this point in his opening statement. These are emergency measures, but there has to be a presumption that we debate first before controversial rules are introduced. On that point, we in the Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party support Plaid's amendment 16 today. We also support most of the Conservatives' points.

Now, as for the particular measures that we are debating, I haven't said a lot about the specific restrictions that the Welsh Government has introduced. My main thrust has been to stress that a co-ordinated UK-wide approach would be the most effective way of dealing with this national emergency. This would, of course, have to be led by the UK Government. Now, the suspicion of many people in Wales is that the First Minister is using the pandemic as a way of pushing his own pro-devolution agenda. Many people outside this place have told me that they think this is what the First Minister is about. I don't offer any opinion to these people, I simply listen. They tell me that the First Minister is determined to do things differently in Wales just because he can. They suggest to me that this is because he wants to publicise and get more public support for his own empire here at Cardiff bay, and they tell me they're getting more than a little fed up with him.

But, what have his own decisions actually led to? Wales now has by far the highest infection rate of the four UK nations. The so-called firebreak, which was meant to offer a lifeline to businesses that might hope to trade successfully in the run-up to Christmas, has been a total failure. This new shut-down could prove to be the final nail in the coffin for many pubs and restaurants. What is worse is that pubs have spent thousands of pounds complying with previous COVID regulations, yet now they are being forced to close their doors again. The idea that they can remain open whilst being banned from serving alcohol is, I am afraid, a sick joke. The unique selling point for a pub is that is serves alcohol; if it doesn't do that, then it is hardly a pub. 

Now, we are told incessantly by the First Minister that all of the measures he brings in have to happen; there is no alternative. Anyone who disagrees, the First Minister seems to say, is either a charlatan, a liar or a fool. When Laura Jones asked him a perfectly valid question yesterday, he said that her behaviour, and the Conservatives' behaviour, was disgraceful. He seems to be telling us that only he knows the right way because only he knows the scientific advice. The problem is that this scientific advice is so compelling that he won't even share it with us.

What we do know from the statistics that are out there is that less than 5 per cent of COVID infections take place in pubs or in hospitality situations; far more actually take place in supermarkets. If the First Minister had allowed pubs to continue serving beer until closing their doors at six, then that would have made some sense. The First Minister, though, says people begin to act in a more cavalier manner after drinking alcohol. He seems to think that people in pubs start staggering about after one or two beers. Perhaps he should visit a pub one day so that he can observe that this image he has of beer drinkers is not really a true picture.

Young people, who may be more inclined to want to party, are not in the main going out before 6 o'clock. Therefore, the vast majority of people drinking in pubs in the afternoon would be doing so sensibly. So, we could have allowed pubs to keep serving beer in the afternoon; common sense tells us that, but there is no common sense coming from this Welsh Government. People will carry on buying beer in supermarkets and more people will now take alcohol home and drink it in private, uncontrolled settings, which are likely to lead to a higher rate of infection.

As Tim Martin of the JD Wetherspoon chain has said, the First Minister is 'talking cobblers'. Where is the evidence? Where is the rationale? He won't answer his critics in any sensible way. He will just say that by raising these issues we are being disgraceful; that's what he always says. But, if we are being disgraceful in raising these questions about what the Welsh Government is doing, then there are an awful lot of disgraceful people out there in Wales who are asking exactly the same questions. Diolch yn fawr iawn.