English: I notice the Government hasn't made any amendments to this motion today; I understand that, because the motion in front of us is quite straightforward, isn't it? It's a simple, 'Do you agree or not with the statement?' It's been a year since the Welsh Conservatives first called for an independent public inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales, and for over a year, the Welsh Government have resisted that request, but that request has not only come from us as Welsh Conservatives, it's come from others across this Senedd and this request has also come from health professionals and health bodies throughout Wales as well. The pandemic has sadly seen nearly 8,000 people die in Wales from COVID-19, and the effects, of course - I'm sure we can all agree - have been devastating for those families affected and for communities across Wales. The effects of course are considerable. That's not a powerful enough word, is it, really? It's such a significant issue when you lose someone close to you. This is a significant issue for the people of Wales. From April 2020, the First Minister has made it clear that different decisions would be made if it was in the interests of Wales and this is a mantra that the First Minister's made several times; he keeps repeating this statement, yet he and the Government here are not willing for there to be a Wales-wide specific inquiry; they are simply happy that there's a footnote or some chapters in a UK-wide inquiry, which is unlikely to go into any kind of detail into the Welsh Government's role in any kind of depth. There are, I would say, as well - . I asked myself in regard to this debate, 'Why is the Welsh Government so reluctant to support a Welsh-only public inquiry?' Is it about blame? Because it shouldn't be, should it? A public inquiry shines a spotlight on good and bad practice. I think the UK nations can learn from each other how they've handled the pandemic, sharing that good and bad practice and other countries around the world can also look at the public inquiries that are taking place here in the UK and across the UK. In terms of good practice, I would expect that any public inquiry at a UK level and any Welsh-specific public inquiry would shine a positive light, for example, on the handling of the vaccination programme and how it's been conducted; allow other countries around the world to look in at the positive vaccination programme that we've got here in Wales; a spotlight on how the UK nations have dealt with the pandemic differently and taken different decisions. So, a public inquiry is surely about learning lessons, in case - heaven forbid - we have a further pandemic, or a variant which brings back a situation that we would not want to see. But a public inquiry would also show how decisions were taken by Ministers. In retrospect, I think we can probably say Ministers across the UK nations have made mistakes, but a public inquiry would examine, 'Did those Ministers make those decisions correctly, based on the information that they had from professionals at that time?' There just seems to be an avoidance of scrutiny, and there are a number of issues that do need to be examined. I've pointed to some good examples, but there are some examples that need to be questioned. The Welsh Government, I think, must answer some serious questions on hospital-acquired COVID-19 infections during the pandemic and show that lessons have indeed been learnt. We've heard lessons have been learnt, but a public inquiry can demonstrate that. We know that 1,806 people - that's roughly one in four people - who died from COVID-19 probably or definitely caught COVID-19 from hospital wards. In Hywel Dda, that data is one in three. Wales has the highest death toll of the whole of the UK nations with a rate of 249.5 deaths per 100,000 people. The Welsh Government throughout reports of ward-to-ward transmissions has said lessons are going to be learned, but I look at this, and I look at what the health Minister said last week, that these deaths would be investigated - well, we haven't had any detail yet. Who is going to carry out the investigations? How will the investigations be conducted in the absence of any - ? This information might come about, I accept that - [Interruption.] No, I totally accept that the Minister might provide that detail; I totally accept that. But if these kinds of questions do not come forward, then a public inquiry will get to the bottom and give families the answers that they might want, and I would expect them to want. Now, the First Minister says that he would prefer a UK-wide inquiry, but, throughout the pandemic, throughout Brexit, throughout other national situations, the Welsh Government has routinely complained that Wales's voice has not been heard in the union. By not having a Wales-wide public inquiry, the Welsh Government is effectively reducing its voice in the union, so I do hope that Members will contribute to this debate this afternoon meaningfully, and I hope that we'll get a meaningful response this afternoon, I hope, as well from the Minister, as she responds to this debate this afternoon. Diolch yn fawr.
Welsh: Sylwaf nad yw'r Llywodraeth wedi gwneud unrhyw welliannau i'r cynnig hwn heddiw; rwy'n deall hynny, oherwydd mae'r cynnig o'n blaenau yn eithaf syml, onid ydyw? Mae'n fater syml o, 'A ydych chi'n cytuno â'r datganiad ai peidio?' Mae blwyddyn wedi bod ers i'r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig alw'n gyntaf am ymchwiliad cyhoeddus annibynnol i bandemig COVID-19 yng Nghymru, ac ers dros flwyddyn, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi gwrthod y cais hwnnw, ond nid y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig yn unig sydd wedi gwneud y cais hwnnw, mae eraill ar draws y Senedd hon wedi ei wneud ac mae gweithwyr iechyd proffesiynol a chyrff iechyd ledled Cymru wedi'i wneud hefyd. Yn anffodus, mae pandemig COVID-19 wedi achosi bron i 8,000 o farwolaethau yng Nghymru, ac mae'r effeithiau, wrth gwrs - rwy'n siŵr y gallwn ni i gyd gytuno - wedi bod yn ddinistriol i'r teuluoedd yr effeithiwyd arnynt ac i gymunedau ledled Cymru. Mae'r effeithiau'n sylweddol wrth gwrs. Nid yw hwnnw'n air digon pwerus, mewn gwirionedd. Mae'n fater mor fawr pan fyddwch yn colli rhywun sy'n agos atoch. Mae hwn yn fater o bwys i bobl Cymru. Ers mis Ebrill 2020, mae'r Prif Weinidog wedi'i gwneud yn glir y byddai penderfyniadau gwahanol yn cael eu gwneud pe bai hynny er budd Cymru ac mae hwn yn fantra y mae'r Prif Weinidog wedi'i yngan sawl gwaith; mae'n ailadrodd y datganiad hwn o hyd, ac eto nid yw ef a'r Llywodraeth yn fodlon cael ymchwiliad penodol i Gymru gyfan; maent yn hapus i gael troednodyn neu rai penodau mewn ymchwiliad ar gyfer y DU gyfan, sy'n annhebygol o fanylu ar rôl Llywodraeth Cymru mewn unrhyw fath o ddyfnder. Byddwn yn dweud bod yna hefyd - . Gofynnais i mi fy hun ynglŷn â'r ddadl hon, 'Pam y mae Llywodraeth Cymru mor amharod i gefnogi ymchwiliad cyhoeddus i Gymru yn unig?' A yw'n ymwneud â bai? Oherwydd ni ddylai ymwneud â hynny. Mae ymchwiliad cyhoeddus yn tynnu sylw at arferion da a drwg. Rwy'n credu y gall gwledydd y DU ddysgu oddi wrth ei gilydd yn y ffordd y maent wedi ymdrin â'r pandemig, gan rannu arferion da a drwg a gall gwledydd eraill ledled y byd hefyd edrych ar yr ymchwiliadau cyhoeddus sy'n digwydd yma yn y DU a ledled y DU. Mewn perthynas ag arferion da, byddwn yn disgwyl y byddai unrhyw ymchwiliad cyhoeddus ar lefel y DU ac unrhyw ymchwiliad cyhoeddus sy'n benodol i Gymru yn taflu goleuni cadarnhaol, er enghraifft, ar y ffordd y mae'r rhaglen frechu wedi cael ei thrin a'i chynnal; caniatáu i wledydd eraill ledled y byd edrych i mewn ar y rhaglen frechu gadarnhaol sydd gennym yma yng Nghymru; tynnu sylw at y ffordd y mae gwledydd y DU wedi ymdrin â'r pandemig mewn ffyrdd gwahanol ac wedi gwneud penderfyniadau gwahanol. Felly, mae ymchwiliad cyhoeddus yn sicr yn ymwneud â dysgu gwersi, rhag ofn - duw a'n gwaredo - y byddwn yn wynebu pandemig arall, neu amrywiolyn sy'n mynd â ni nôl i sefyllfa na fyddem eisiau ei gweld. Ond byddai ymchwiliad cyhoeddus hefyd yn dangos sut y gwnaed penderfyniadau gan Weinidogion. Wrth edrych yn ôl, credaf y gallwn ddweud, mae'n debyg, fod Gweinidogion ledled gwledydd y DU wedi gwneud camgymeriadau, ond byddai ymchwiliad cyhoeddus yn archwilio, 'A wnaeth y Gweinidogion hynny y penderfyniadau hynny'n gywir, yn seiliedig ar y wybodaeth roeddent yn ei chael gan weithwyr proffesiynol ar y pryd?' Mae'n ymddangos bod yna osgoi craffu, ac mae nifer o faterion y mae angen eu harchwilio. Rwyf wedi tynnu sylw at rai enghreifftiau da, ond mae rhai enghreifftiau y mae angen eu cwestiynu. Rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid i Lywodraeth Cymru ateb rhai cwestiynau difrifol ynglŷn â heintiau COVID-19 a gafwyd mewn ysbytai yn ystod y pandemig a dangos bod gwersi wedi'u dysgu mewn gwirionedd. Rydym wedi clywed bod gwersi wedi'u dysgu, ond gall ymchwiliad cyhoeddus ddangos hynny. Gwyddom fod 1,806 o bobl - hynny yw, oddeutu un o bob pedwar o bobl - a fu farw o COVID-19 yn ôl pob tebyg neu'n bendant wedi dal COVID-19 ar wardiau ysbytai. Yn Hywel Dda, mae'r data'n un o bob tri. Cymru sydd â'r nifer uchaf o farwolaethau yn y DU gyda chyfradd o 249.5 o farwolaethau ym mhob 100,000 o bobl. Drwy gydol adroddiadau am drosglwyddiadau o ward i ward, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi dweud y bydd gwersi'n cael eu dysgu, ond rwy'n edrych ar hyn, ac rwy'n edrych ar yr hyn a ddywedodd y Gweinidog iechyd yr wythnos diwethaf, y byddai ymchwiliad i'r marwolaethau hyn - wel, nid ydym wedi cael unrhyw fanylion eto. Pwy fydd yn cynnal yr ymchwiliadau? Sut y cynhelir yr ymchwiliadau yn absenoldeb unrhyw - ? Efallai y daw'r wybodaeth hon, rwy'n derbyn hynny - [ Torri ar draws. ] Na, rwy'n derbyn yn llwyr y gallai'r Gweinidog ddarparu'r manylion hynny; rwy'n derbyn hynny'n llwyr. Ond os na chaiff y mathau hyn o gwestiynau eu gofyn, bydd ymchwiliad cyhoeddus yn mynd at wraidd y mater a darparu atebion y gallai teuluoedd fod eu heisiau ac y byddwn yn disgwyl iddynt fod eu heisiau. Nawr, mae Prif Weinidog Cymru'n dweud y byddai'n well ganddo gael ymchwiliad ar gyfer y DU gyfan, ond drwy gydol y pandemig, drwy gydol Brexit, drwy gydol sefyllfaoedd cenedlaethol eraill, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cwyno'n gyson nad yw llais Cymru wedi cael ei glywed yn yr undeb. Drwy beidio â chael ymchwiliad cyhoeddus i Gymru gyfan, mae Llywodraeth Cymru i bob pwrpas yn lleihau ei llais yn yr undeb, felly rwy'n gobeithio y bydd yr Aelodau'n cyfrannu at y ddadl hon y prynhawn yma mewn modd ystyrlon, ac rwy'n gobeithio y cawn ymateb ystyrlon y prynhawn yma gan y Gweinidog hefyd wrth iddi ymateb i'r ddadl hon. Diolch yn fawr.