Questions Without Notice from the Party Leaders

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:52 pm on 21 March 2023.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Adam Price Adam Price Plaid Cymru 1:52, 21 March 2023

Diolch, Llywydd. It was a privilege to be able to talk earlier to members of Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru, who are here in the Senedd today. They told me that their experience of the UK COVID inquiry has deepened their resolve that Wales, like Scotland, needs its own inquiry. The only dedicated Wales-specific component promised so far is module 2B, scheduled to run for two and a half weeks this time next year. Now that's too little time, surely, for us to learn the necessary lessons for Wales; it's too late, and too few voices will be heard. To give a couple of examples: the Older People's Commissioner for Wales is not a core participant. It is in Northern Ireland. I'm told that no expert witnesses have been appointed by the inquiry who are either from Wales or with Wales-specific knowledge. And in a four-country inquiry, surely the risk is we'll be comparing ourselves with the other UK nations, whereas what we should be doing is holding ourselves up to an international comparison. Comparing ourselves with Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock is—to say the least—setting a very low bar.