With it being a UNCRC, I'd imagine it's a universal way that all Governments sign up to. So, I'm not sure on the details of the UK Government, but my job primarily is to scrutinise the Welsh Government, which I'm trying to do, and not to talk too much about the UK Government, which seems to be the trend these days.

So, where was I? Throughout the pandemic, the rights of children have been at best ignored and at worst eroded. Children and young people have suffered the most, yet they are unlikely to suffer serious illnesses from COVID. At the start of the COVID outbreak, schools were closed to help stop the spread of the virus. No regard was given to the impact this had on children. Welsh Government failed to conduct rights assessments on any of its COVID regulations. When the Government's measures adversely impacted young people, it once again took the intervention of the children's commissioner to overturn the decision to omit 16 and 17-year-olds from revised regulations allowing single people to join an extended household bubble. This oversight by Welsh Government would have been caught before the legislation was introduced, had they conducted a CRIA. Even now, when the vast majority of adults are vaccinated against COVID, schools are still closing to curb the spread of a virus that has little to no impact on young people. How is this protecting the rights of children and young people in Wales?

I hope that, alongside the children's rights scheme, the Welsh Government will commit to conducting children's rights impact evaluations. The draft budget will include a CRIA and will have been drafted in compliance with the 2011 children's rights Measure. They will guarantee no more school closures due to COVID and commit to holding an independent Welsh public inquiry into the Welsh Government's handling of COVID-19. Welsh Government's handling of the pandemic has had such a profound impact on children that we need a Welsh public inquiry in order to learn the lessons and strengthen the rights of children in Wales. Thank you very much.