Wales COVID-19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee

Good morning. Bore da. I want to welcome members of the committee to the meeting. I haven't received any apologies for absence. I ask Members if they have any declaration of a registrable interest that they want to declare. No.

Before we go into private session, we as co-Chairs, myself and Tom, wish to note the importance of this committee and the seriousness of the work that we will undertake. This committee will fulfil an important role in examining gaps identified in the preparedness and response of the Welsh Government and other Welsh public bodies during the COVID-19 pandemic. We share a mutual commitment to respect our equal status as co-Chairs to work together effectively to deliver our shared responsibilities.

We will be meeting in private this morning to discuss the internal business of the committee, which means operational matters, such as understanding the temporary Standing Orders that apply to this committee. Co-chairing is a novel arrangement for a Senedd committee, and it will be necessary to provide clarity for committee members, staff, the Senedd, stakeholders and, most importantly, the public on how this will work. We will be discussing a co-Chair protocol, which, once agreed, will be shared publicly, setting out our agreed ways of working in respect of a range of matters.