7. What plans does the Welsh Government have to tackle the increase in COVID-19 cases in the Caerphilly constituency? OQ56893

Llywydd, vaccines remain our strongest defence against coronavirus. The autumn booster programme has already started in Caerphilly. Letters inviting 12 to 15-year-olds to be vaccinated will start arriving this week. In addition to vaccination, we must all redouble our efforts to do those simple things that continue to keep us all safe.

One thing that impacts the Caerphilly constituency is the UK Government's plans for international travel. We've heard that they are now going to be abandoning the amber aspect of the list and consolidating the green list. I think that's from 4 October. But the UK Government have also indicated that they will no longer require a PCR test on return for travellers returning to England later in October, and I think they've indicated that for the end of the half-term breaks. So, can I ask the First Minister—? I've got concerns about that and the impact on the data that the Government is able to gather. But can I ask the First Minister when the Welsh Government will make a decision for people in Wales? Because I've had a lot of constituents getting in touch to ask that question. And if possible, can he give an indication of his thinking on that today? 

I thank Hefin David for that, Llywydd. The UK Government's approach to international travel during the pandemic has been amongst the most chaotic parts of its response. It's very hard indeed to follow their thinking in this area. We have, as a Welsh Government, with others, consistently urged on them a more precautionary approach to defending the borders of the United Kingdom against the reimportation into the UK of coronavirus and, particularly, the importation of new variants that may be occurring elsewhere in the world.

At the end of last week, the UK Government decided to collapse the green and amber lists into one. I don't think we had a particular objection to that. They reduced the red list of countries, which I think is more concerning. Again, we would have taken a more precautionary approach to sustaining the number of countries on the red list. But the most concerning thing of all was their decision to move away from PCR tests on day two after someone returns from overseas, because that was the strongest defence against the reimportation of viruses from elsewhere in the world.

In Wales, we genomic sequence a higher proportion of tests than any other part of the United Kingdom, and it is that sequencing that allows the very skilled scientists who do it to identify new variations in coronavirus. Without a PCR test, it is very difficult to see how the UK Government will be able to do that. So, we do have a decision of our own to make. It is a very difficult decision in a practical sense because so many Welsh travellers return to Wales via an English port or airport, and having a separate Welsh system advertised to them, communicated to them at that point is not something that English ports have been keen to do. Nevertheless, we continue to think it through, to discuss it with those on whom we would have to rely, and we will come to a decision shortly on it.

The real answer should have been to have retained day two PCR tests across the United Kingdom, and the failure to do so I think really is a step away from the duty that the UK Government owes to the health of people in this country.