4. Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Update on COVID-19

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:27 pm on 14 September 2021.

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Photo of Laura Anne Jones Laura Anne Jones Conservative 4:27, 14 September 2021

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Thank you for that statement, Minister. I welcome and support the decision that you've come to that 12 to 15-year-olds should have the opportunity now to be vaccinated, and it's also great to see the importance of keeping our children in schools and educated in schools as being a factor in making that decision. It is paramount, obviously, that we keep our children in school as much as possible, and it's also important that, as the child makes that final decision on whether to be vaccinated, parents and children work together on coming to that conclusion on whether they should have the vaccination. As we know, in some cases, that won't happen. Now, as the parent of an 11-year-old, a nearly 12-year-old, I'm a little concerned about him coming to a different conclusion than I would want for him, and my concerns are centred around the information that will be given to him and how that's presented to him as has already been outlined by Rhun and Russell. But it's how we are going to reach out to those children and how we are going to engage with them, and expanding on the children commissioner's concerns as well, we need to ensure that the quality of information is there and the impact of their decision is also included. Are we going to use videos? Because I can't see my child, for example, reading through reams of paper, or the equivalent online. So, I just wanted your reassurance on that, that we are going to actively engage children in a way that they will respond to—