Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:19 pm on 1 March 2022.
Just a few comments from me. The changes are few, if truth be told, but every one is significant as we move forward to a more endemic phase. But, as a first comment, it does make sense to extend the main regulations until the end of March. We still haven't put the pandemic behind us, but on a practical level, the statutory defences still in place are very few and far between. I would make the comment once again that we in this place are talking about changes that have already been introduced, and since things are moving quite gradually now, I do think that we could be dealing with issues in a more timely manner. And, of course, we want to be able to look to the future and to those final stages of lifting restrictions or removing protections.
Just a few comments from me—two concerns. Can I ask the Minister what the stance now is on continued testing in Wales, and what are the arguments that the Minister is putting forward to the UK Government on this? It was raised by members of the public, constituents of mine: if lateral flow tests have to be paid for, for example, in England, well, what will the implications of that be for Wales, where, of course, prescriptions are available free of charge? And we will need to think carefully about what will need to be done in terms of providing tests for vulnerable people or carers, for example.
And another issue: if isolation rules come to an end as part of the next phase, then how can we ensure support for the most vulnerable people? Because, as with so many elements of the pandemic, the vulnerable and vulnerable sections of society have suffered disproportionately, and the last thing we want to do is to see a continuation of that inequality as we move beyond the pandemic. So, I would welcome comments on that.
And finally from me, it was a privilege to sponsor an event here in the Senedd today, where Members from all parties had an opportunity to meet some of the families who'd lost loved ones over the past two years—campaigners who have been demanding an independent Wales-only public inquiry. I, like many others, did try to put the case as fervently and as determinedly as we could in terms of having a Wales-only inquiry. We failed in that regard, and I very much regret that; the families also regret that. But now, what we need to ensure is that the UK-wide inquiry does look at things from a Welsh perspective. So, I've today written to the public inquiry team, asking for assurances that those Welsh campaigners and their legal teams will have an opportunity to be key witnesses to that inquiry, and they won't be some bolt-on to the campaigning group in England or across the UK. So, will the Minister join with my demand to ensure that they are treated as a separate group, to ensure that the Welsh voice is heard within that inquiry?