7. & 8. The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Restrictions) (Amendment) (No. 4) (Wales) Regulations 2021 and The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2021

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:53 pm on 9 February 2021.

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Photo of Mick Antoniw Mick Antoniw Labour 5:53, 9 February 2021

Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. I speak in respect of both sets of regulations; we considered these at our meeting yesterday.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Restrictions) (Amendment) (No. 4) (Wales) Regulations 2021 amend the 2020 international travel regulations and the No. 5 restrictions regulations. Our report contains two merits points. The first point notes the Welsh Government's justification for any interference with human rights. Our report draws attention to the explanatory memorandum, which confirms that the amendments made by these regulations do not change the engagement, under the international travel regulations or the No. 5 restrictions regulations, of individual rights under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the European convention on human rights. The second merits point is a familiar reporting point we make. We've noted that there's been no formal consultation on the regulations, but for reasons that Members will be aware of.

Turning now to the second set of regulations, the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2021. These make changes to the No. 5 restrictions regulations, which are, of course, the principal regulations on coronavirus. In particular, as the Minister has said, they permit a person living in an alert level 4 area, which is currently the whole of Wales, to leave the place where they are living to exercise with one other person. They also permit people to form new extended households, subject to special conditions being met.

Our first two reporting points concern the Welsh Government's justification for any potential interference with human rights. As a consequence of these changes related to exercise and extended households, the explanatory memorandum provides a commentary on how these regulations reduce the extent to which the restrictions and requirements in the principal regulations interfere with individual rights. And our second reporting point again notes that there has been no formal consultation on the regulations.