Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:51 pm on 13 June 2023.
Andrew RT Davies
Conservative
1:51,
13 June 2023
I can't believe that on the floor of the Welsh Parliament we cannot get—[Interruption.] The Member for Ogmore is going, 'Work it out, Andrew', and this is the Member who stands up time and time again and talks of disrespect from Westminster to the Welsh Parliament in his role as Chairman of the legislation committee. How on earth can it be legitimate in every other legislature, whether it be Westminster or Holyrood, to have Members stand up and ask the respective Government Ministers about the biggest event that has happened to this country in a generation or more? It is perfectly reasonable for me and other Members to question, and the arrogance of the response from the First Minister will be noted by those COVID bereaved families in you not providing those answers.
So, I'll ask you again, for the third time—and you can turn me down again, but three times—it reminds me of many interviews that are done on the tv where people try and stonewall—are you hiding from something, First Minister? Because we deserve the respect of putting the answer on the record to make sure that people hear what their First Minister says. So, was it the right decision to discharge patients from hospital to social care homes without testing that you took and your health Minister took at that time?
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.