Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:22 pm on 26 May 2021.
Could I concur with the points that have just been made about mental health? Undoubtedly, many of the organisations within my own constituency have slowly come out of this and are slowly coming back to meet together, albeit, I have to say, with caution, because some of them, particularly those that have vulnerable members themselves, do not want to come back to face-to-face in a rush, they want to do it very, very safely. But I'm sure we will indeed see the repercussions of that and I would welcome the Government's response on that.
But I have one particular question and it is to do with live performance. I thank the Minister's officials and advisers for engaging with me over the last fortnight extensively, ad nauseam, probably every other day, to try and get clarity on a very straightforward point, and it is whether live performances are at all allowed at this moment in time in licensed or non-licensed venues. If people are carrying a pint of beer or wine in a licensed venue, albeit that there is a guitarist sitting in the corner, strumming away quietly, below the level of raising the voices of everybody—. I have to say, I was out last Saturday night in a pub, the local pub, a very good pub, having a pint, and behind me there was a group that was far louder than any rock band, I would suggest. [Laughter.] But we really need clarity. At this moment in time, is live performance allowed in licensed venues in any shape or form? And if not, at what point will it be? Is it alert level 1, for example? That clarity would really help. Even though they want to perform now, if they're told it's not now but it will be if and when we can move to alert level 1, that will be a clear signal to them that things can return at some point, if we keep going with the progress we've made.
And finally, Llywydd, can I just commend the approach that has been taken here in Wales? I can tell the Minister that, despite niggles, despite complaints—understandably, sometimes—the majority of my constituents and businesses want us to proceed in that way that is steady, cautious, deliberate and based on evidence, so that we do not have to regress to where we were before, so that we can continue to stay open and the thaw will continue until we are back to as near normality as we possibly can be.