Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:01 pm on 9 November 2021.
Darren Millar, in his contribution, said that the Conservatives had argued a month ago that this would set a precedent, and that was the argument that they pursued. Actually, the argument that was pursued by Russell George a month ago was that the introduction of these COVID passes would be a 'disaster'. That was the word he used, and he based his analysis on the experience of Scotland. He argued that we couldn't cope with any of these additional passes. The experience has been entirely different, of course, and the experience of introduction of the COVID passes, as Rhun ap Iorwerth has explained in his contribution, has been relatively smooth, has been implemented relatively easily, as far as I can see, by the institutions and organisations who've been required to do so.
Like Darren, I enjoyed the rugby on the weekend, and I showed my COVID pass on the way in and it caused no difficulty at all for me. I've also used my COVID pass, I regret to say, to watch Cardiff City—[Laughter.]—in recent weeks, and it's been far easier to get in than to stay in my seat and watch. I have to say that there haven't been the difficulties that were expressed in the debate we had a month ago, but it's right and proper that those potential problems are pointed out to Government, and Government should respond on how they're dealing with that. I feel far more confident now, having seen the COVID pass in action over the last month or so, to be able to vote very easily to extend its use, because we have the experience and the knowledge that we didn't have a month ago, and the experience and the knowledge have been positive and have demonstrated that organisations and businesses can implement these requirements with the minimum of difficulty.
But the other argument that was pursued a month ago, of course, was that of civil liberty and personal freedom, and we argue these things, and to some extent Darren Millar has done so this afternoon, on the basis of my freedoms, of my rights, of my entitlements. Why don't we think of other people's rights? Why don't we think of other people's freedoms? Why don't we think of other people's entitlements? We're used to selfishness from the party opposite, but when we talk about the rights of Government and the rights of Government to impose restrictions upon us, Government must prove its case to do so, and I think the Government has proved its case. It proved it a month ago, and the experience we've had over the last month has actually demonstrated the power of that argument. I give way.