I have to say that this is probably one of the hardest debates that any of us can contribute to, and, just before I make my contribution, I would just make a plea to the First Minister and his Cabinet: half of the Members of the Senedd by all accounts will be calling for this, but so many people are calling for this inquiry, so have the courage of your convictions, and please, let's have an inquiry.

I genuinely thought, right from the start of the pandemic, that an inquiry would automatically happen. I didn't think that I would be sat here tonight almost begging the First Minister to do this. But it was even more sad when I met with the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru in the Senedd last month, and their desperate pleas for answers were once again highlighted and underlined by so many heartbreaking stories of personal loss, grief and hardship.

So, let me be clear: through its unwavering support of a four-nation inquiry by the UK Government, the Welsh Government is actually denying the Welsh public answers on decisions that it took, and it took alone. Some have made suggestions that those decisions were the First Minister and the Welsh Government flexing their muscles. All I know is this, that there were times that we seemed to go off on a tangent here. There was an incoherent approach to lifting lockdown measures, ranging from the incredulous five-mile rule, which failed to recognise the realities of rural Wales, to the sudden complete releasing of Wales after the firebreak lockdown. Denying this inquiry means that we are unable to evaluate the impact of certain restriction methods, and it's ironic that we're asking now for this inquiry at the start of another unknown that we don't know in the pandemic.

As the number of people entering hospitals in Wales for cancer treatment dropped by over 40,000, and with the Welsh Government's refusal to be part of the UK Government's testing portal, saying that you would be developing your own, only to scrap the idea less than a month later, by denying this inquiry, Wales is now unable to press forward with any new pandemic preparedness. Given that the Welsh Government posted more than 13,000 shielding letters to the wrong addresses in April and May 2020, compounded even further when the details of more than 18,000 individuals were accidentally posted on Public Health Wales's website, denying this inquiry means that we are unable to fully understand the reasoning behind choices taken at that time. We know that the holding of a Wales-specific public inquiry would actually be in the Welsh Government's interest. Far from being a footnote in the larger UK inquiry document, as the Older People's Commissioner for Wales has made clear, holding a Wales-specific public inquiry will ensure that the panel understand exactly what went wrong, when it went wrong, and how they can actually make a difference.

To this day, I have hospitality businesses who are concerned that you will once again take the decision to ban the sale of alcohol in pubs, a restriction that was not proportionate and crippled the industry, especially in December, where businesses can now make up to 25 per cent of annual turnover. I have constituents who remain confused over the delay to testing and hospital discharge into care homes as well as the wait to join the NHS track and trace app. Wales now has the highest death toll out of the whole of UK, with a rate of 282 deaths per 100,000. By hiding behind investigations into the UK Government decisions on COVID-19, this Welsh Government is undermining our ability to reflect, remember and prepare for what is next. Accountability, Llywydd, is a cornerstone of any democracy. I join with colleagues in this Siambr and residents from across Wales who have lost families to urge this Welsh Government to commission an independent public inquiry into the COVID pandemic in Wales. Thank you, diolch.