Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:10 pm on 26 January 2022.
I'm certainly not embarrassed by comments that my colleagues have made, and you're absolutely right, we should be seeing restrictions moved away as soon as possible, and, of course, science and information have a key role to play in that decision making.
In terms of the constructive items that I think Members have picked up today that we can, hopefully, continue to agree on, I think Gareth Davies highlighted a really important point around parental choice and the role of parents and the voice of parents being heard throughout times like this. I'm not sure that's always been as strongly listened to as it could have been through this time. And, secondly, another area that has been highlighted and perhaps can be learned from constructively is the agility within the education system to be able to respond in times of crisis. At the start of the pandemic, I think it's fair to say that the agility wasn't there, and perhaps the Minister may want to think about how that could be built into the system in the future, because we're told that situations like this are not alone, and actually we may have to consider it in the future again.
So, in closing, Deputy Presiding Officer—I appreciate time is running away—it is disappointing that Welsh Government have submitted a 'delete all and replace with' amendment here today, instead of engaging with our motion and taking on board what I hoped was constructive feedback, looking to make the practical solutions that we've outlined in today's debate. We all acknowledge that the pandemic has been extremely challenging to all sectors. There have been no easy decision to make. However, here in Wales, specific actions of Welsh Government outlined in today's debate have had a detrimental impact on the development of our learners, which can only add to the worrying education statistics here in Wales. So, thank you to all Members and the Minister for constructive contributions, and I urge all Members to support our Conservative motion here today. Diolch yn fawr iawn.