8. Welsh Conservatives Debate: Wales COVID-19 inquiry special purpose committee

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:59 pm on 30 November 2022.

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Photo of Jane Dodds Jane Dodds Liberal Democrat 5:59, 30 November 2022

This issue really does bring up so many emotions, doesn't it, really? Many of us know people who've been affected, many of us have met people who've been directly affected, and it's really important that we remember that for many of those families who are still living with the loss and the pain, this is still really there. And I'm not saying this proposal or an inquiry in London will actually get rid of that, because it won't, but it will—and we know and we've heard—help people to move on slightly.

Now in Wales, we did things differently. We did some good things. Carolyn's talked about some good things, and I do praise the First Minister for many of the decisions that were made here in Wales, and, really, it marked us out as a nation, making decisions that were for the good of the people. So, whilst I'm supporting this motion, I disagree with some of the sentiments here. I don't believe you are hiding from anything at all, First Minister; you are here and you're going to speak to this. But I would appeal to you to think again.

That's what happened to me. At the beginning of this discussion, back around a year ago, I actually opposed a Welsh-specific inquiry, and then I met with Anna-Louise Marsh-Rees who lost her father and has set up Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru. She persuaded me that she and her group actually wanted a Welsh-specific inquiry, and I changed my mind. So, I appeal to you this evening, and to my Labour colleagues, to think again and change your minds. Thank you. Diolch yn fawr iawn.