Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:13 pm on 15 June 2021.
Rhun, you asked about restrictions on singing. I have pushed on this issue for some time. Every time I go to the cathedral in St David's, they ask me, 'Why can't we sing?' The problem is, the science is against us on this point. We're very eager as people to push forward with this, but the science is very clear on this, and that's why we can't go further. And we're very eager to press ahead, particularly in places of worship; we do understand how important that is to people.
And in terms of weddings—you've both raised that point—I understand that this has broken the hearts of many people. It is an emotional roller coaster to go through having to cancel and then reorganise and then cancel again, and that's why we've tried not to do what they've done in England, namely to say, 'This is what you need to do and we're going down this route.' We're trying not to let people down. But what we do understand is that weddings are different to other things, because you have to have a long time to organise them. Three weeks isn't enough time to do that. But that means, of course, that we don't know what the virus is going to look like during that period. We have looked at weddings in some detail, and we have asked the scientists to help us to see how far we can go in this area. Weddings are difficult, of course, particularly if people haven't seen each other for a year. That's the time when they're going to get close to each other. It's not like going to a concert where you don't know other people, so that is a very difficult situation in terms of the problems that can arise in terms of the virus. It is something that will be considered in the coming days, and I don't want to make any commitments. I am aware, and the Presiding Officer has also drawn my attention to the very sensitive case of a wedding in Ceredigion, and we are considering all of these situations, but we do have to follow the guidelines that are produced and the science that is placed before us in Cabinet.
In terms of lifting the restrictions in England, Rhun, you were clear about the fact that we're not really shocked that they've had to shift their timetable. I always thought it was strange that they would have a situation where someone like Mark Drakeford could go to a nightclub on 21 June because he'd had two jabs, but my son can't go. So, I always thought that there was no common sense applied to the development of that idea. And, in England, they haven't reached that point where everyone over 18 has been offered the vaccine.
In terms of the communication, this is an issue that we do have to consider because we want people to come and enjoy tourism in Wales. What we've done is we've developed a programme with the tourism board, the Addo programme, which is being advertised in England. So, if people do come, they are expected to comply with our rules. So, there is a marketing programme that's been developed around that. So, I hope that I have answered those questions. Thank you very much.