Diolch, Llywydd. I move the motion this afternoon in the name of my colleague Darren Millar. Today, I'm pleased to open this debate on the issue that the Welsh Conservatives have continually been raising over the past 18 months. We first called for an independent public inquiry into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales, and we still feel that the people of Wales who have lost loved ones to this horrible disease deserve to know every detail of how the pandemic has been handled specifically in Wales. Indeed, good and bad practice and decisions should have a light shone on them.

Since our calls for an inquiry over 18 months ago, the calls have continually been denied by the Labour Government, despite the fact that we have had calls for a specific public inquiry echoed by other political parties—Plaid Cymru also calling for a public inquiry in Wales for over 18 months—and from other health professionals and bodies, of course, as well. But, importantly, it is the bereaved families. We have seen, sadly, 9,000 people who have died in Wales as a result of COVID-19, but it's the bereaved families who, above all, are calling for a Wales-specific public inquiry. The people who have lost loved ones due to COVID, I think, deserve answers, as do the people who have had delayed operations and people who have had delayed cancer diagnosis, of course, and that list could go on. During the first 18 months of the pandemic, there were over 50,000 cancelled operations and 1.3 million cancelled appointments in Welsh hospitals.

The figures emphasise, of course, the concerns that the costs of lockdowns extend beyond the economic, and they move into the realm of physical as well as mental health. This reinforces the message as well about why we need a Wales-specific public inquiry. But, it does bring home to us the difficulties that we have had in the Welsh NHS, of course, as well, with the longest treatment backlog in Wales's history, with one in five people sadly on a waiting list. As health is devolved, many decisions have been made here in Wales by the First Minister. The Welsh Government has taken different decisions and taken different judgements to Governments in other parts of the UK, and rightly so as well. But, on that question, I would say that the question here is: why? Why the reluctance from the Welsh Government for a Wales-specific public inquiry, as well as a UK public inquiry? Why is there a reluctance to support both public inquiries?

The Labour Government has delayed work in two significant areas—testing in care homes and the NHS track and trace app. After England had introduced mass testing in care homes during the first wave in 2020, the First Minister said that he could see no value in introducing tests across all Welsh care homes. Wales sought to develop its own tracing app in April of last year—that, of course, losing crucial time before finally deciding to be part of the UK app on 17 May. The Welsh Government also saw no value in introducing mandatory face masks over the summer of 2020, despite advice, potentially leading to a higher rate of infection in Wales. Indeed, not until September 2020 did the First Minister introduce mandatory face masks. So, it's no secret, of course, also, that hospital-acquired infections in Welsh hospitals have been extremely high. The Welsh Government, I think—the Labour Government here—must answer serious questions on hospital-acquired COVID-19 infections during the pandemic and show that lessons have indeed been learnt—I would like to say for future pandemics, but sadly for times like we're in now.

Twenty-seven per cent of people who sadly died of COVID-19 probably or definitely caught COVID-19 from hospital wards. In Hywel Dda, one freedom of information request found that one in three sadly died from COVID-19 after picking up infections in hospitals. And this is a significant reason why we need a Wales-specific inquiry. And, of course, behind every statistic and percentage, there are real people and people who have sadly died, and families who are sadly grieving.

And it isn't just the health sector where the Government has had control and a duty to protect. The delayed publication of the road map for businesses, despite calls from Welsh Conservatives, I believe has been another failing of this Government. And we saw a terrible roll-out in regard to the economic resilience phase 3 fund, which was suspended just 36 hours after opening due to the number of applications received. Hospitality, of course, has suffered greatly because of the pandemic and decisions made by the Government here in Wales. This is why, of course, we need a Wales-wide specific inquiry. 

While attention is focused on the new variant, it's also important that we do not forget the countless number of decisions that have been made over the last two years that have to be, and demand to be, examined. The First Minister has continually said, and still says, that he is making decisions in Wales, for Wales, and that's fine—rightly so. It is questionable why he does not want to be scrutinised on the decisions that are made here. The Labour Government should not be allowed to hide behind a UK-wide public inquiry. The people of Wales deserve better than petty politics, I'm afraid. The First Minister has one final chance to show the nation that he respects devolution and accepts accountability and whether he wants to deny answers to those affected, sadly, by this pandemic. I look forward to the contributions in this Welsh Conservative debate this afternoon.