3. Statement by the First Minister: COVID-19: One Year On

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:30 pm on 23 March 2021.

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Photo of Mark Reckless Mark Reckless Conservative 3:30, 23 March 2021

We remember today all those who have died of COVID and their families. We also, I think, should think of those who have long COVID, think of those who are going to have other health treatments delayed, and think of the impact for so many on their mental health, and those who've suffered worst economically from this. 

First Minister, I'd like to say that anything I say from an Abolish the Welsh Assembly perspective I'd like to preface with two remarks, one about you personally. I appreciate the huge work rate and effort that you have put into this crisis, and how it must have changed you as a leader. You've had to deal with our questions from different perspectives over the past year, and you've generally done so with great conscientiousness and good humour, so I would like to thank you for that. 

I'd also like to say that, whatever our perspectives on what Government should do or shouldn't do, or how it's different from what a Government somewhere else does, whether that's within the United Kingdom or wider afield, I'm struck by how common the experience has been. Even in countries that appeared to be doing well or badly, there seems perhaps to be a reversion to the mean. Sometimes, policies don't have the impact we expect, and overall, perhaps we as politicians are less determinative of the outcomes than we might expect. 

I wonder though, First Minister, could I ask you about one particular decision that was taken before—[Inaudible.]