Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:45 pm on 6 July 2021.
I have to say that is the wrong decision, Minister. Time and time again—and we'll hear it in the legislative statement this afternoon—the Government want decisions taken here in Cardiff, to be based here in this Parliament, and in Cathays Park, where the Government is located. Here, where key decisions have resulted in, tragically, people losing their lives in a hospital setting because of hospital-acquired infections—1 in 3 people in certain health boards were acquiring the COVID virus in a hospital setting, because of the decisions that were taken here in Wales. People will be bemused that you're not prepared to put yourself under the spotlight of scrutiny. I urge the Government, and I urge you most strongly, to make sure there is a strong Welsh element in the UK-wide inquiry, but more importantly, that we do have a Wales-wide inquiry to test these ministerial decisions, and also highlight the successes as well, such as the vaccination scheme. It is a matter of deep regret that you are not willing to put your ministerial shoulder to the wheel to make that Welsh public inquiry happen. I leave it to you again to say that we do need a Wales-wide public inquiry to look into these tragic events that have led to such high incidence of hospital-acquired infections across the length and breadth of Wales.