Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:09 pm on 7 June 2022.
Had the Member been listening to my previous answer, he would have heard the answer to his question. If we are to have an inquiry, then it would be helpful, wouldn't it, to establish some basic accuracy in the facts that people put forward. It is simply not the case, Llywydd, as the Member suggested, that the number of children on child protection registers was growing in Wales in the period prior to the pandemic. In fact, the opposite is actually the truth. It would help a little, wouldn't it, if people took the trouble to establish a few basic facts before they offered us their opinions, because the numbers were reducing, not growing. That is the fact of the matter. Numbers have recovered post pandemic to where they were before the pandemic began. So, when Jane Dodds referred to the growing number of children who are subject to a child protection plan, she was referring to a recovery in those numbers. The number is not above today where it was prior to the pandemic. So, if we're going to have an inquiry, then I think a bit more light and a little bit less heat would probably assist in making it a worthwhile exercise.