Extract from Welsh Parliament questions to the First Minister - July 6

Rhun ap Iorwerth MS: Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd. Let me continue with that theme, and dig a little bit deeper if I can. For over a year now, Plaid Cymru has called for a Wales-only public inquiry. Your Government—and you've confirmed it now—has opted to have a Welsh chapter or chapters in a UK-wide inquiry. I think in all honesty that opens you up to the charge of ducking scrutiny. If you take responsibility, you have to be ready to be judged on your actions, good and bad. Now, of course, there's also the issue that Boris Johnson himself at Westminster is ducking scrutiny in dithering about when to begin the UK-wide inquiry. He's clearly in no hurry to set up that UK-wide inquiry. Sir Robert Owen, the judge who chaired the public inquiry into the death of Alexander Litvinenko, recently insisted that work needs to begin immediately, and that a long-delayed report ceases to form a useful function. Do you agree with that?

Lesley Griffiths MS (Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd): I do think the inquiry needs to be sooner rather than later. I don't think it's ducking scrutiny; I'm sure the spotlight will be very firmly on all four nations. I don't think I can add anything in relation to the First Minister's view to what I said in my answers to Andrew R.T. Davies. Clearly, within Wales, we've done a review. The health Minister has led, within her department—or officials have led within her department—when we look at what happened in the first wave, and then obviously in the second wave currently. But I don't think, for the reasons I've stated already, a Wales-specific inquiry is—. But I certainly don't think it's ducking scrutiny.

Rhun ap Iorwerth MS: You want it sooner rather than later, but let me be clear: in refusing a Welsh-specific inquiry, you're effectively agreeing to that delay, and the spotlight on what has happened in Wales will be inevitably weakened with having that spotlight trying to be shone, with equal forensic detail, right across the UK. We need to answer questions about what's happening in Wales. Two days ago, the Royal College of Nursing joined with the GMB and others to call on the Scottish Government to launch a separate Scottish inquiry—the same principles there. If calls for a separate Welsh investigation were made by prominent bodies whose mission is to represent the interests of health and care workers and patients here, what would your message be to them?

Lesley Griffiths MS: As I say, I don't think I can say any more. The First Minister made it very clear that he thinks a UK inquiry is the best, for the interdependencies that I've just explained. I don't think you can ever accuse the First Minister, or any other of my ministerial colleagues, of not being open to scrutiny. We sat all last year. When the UK Government didn't sit, we were sitting; you were able to scrutinise every single Minister. I'm assuming that when this inquiry is running—and I know that the First Minister believes that it shouldn't be something that's kicked into the long grass; obviously, people need answers. But at the moment the focus of all Governments is dealing with the pandemic. We know what's coming down the road, don't we? We are seeing a significant increase in the number of cases of the virus at the moment. So, I'm afraid I haven't got anything further to add around the UK four-nation inquiry that the First Minister has agreed to.