Drakeford refuses to answer ‘preview’ questions in Senedd

Local TV

The ongoing covid inquiry is exploring what happened behind the scenes during the pandemic. Ministers, advisors, civil servants are all being questioned over decisions made, seeking to get a clear picture of what might have gone wrong. Over in the Senedd, the first minister is facing his own mini inquiry from the opposition, but is keeping his cards close to his chest.

Transcript

00:00 that you do use WhatsApp regularly. On November the 7th when I questioned you on this particular

00:07 issue you said that you didn't use it and then you clarified on November the 8th that you used it

00:14 but not very often. Can you confirm whether you do use WhatsApp regularly as the evidence that

00:21 was put to the Covid inquiry last week in particular when it comes to policy and rule decisions?

00:28 I am a witness at the Covid inquiry. I will answer their questions whatever points they put to me.

00:37 I am not going to offer a preview of what I say to the inquiry. I will pay the inquiry the respect

00:45 I think it believes and I will give my answers to them as a witness. The leader of the Welsh

00:51 Conservatives believes Mark Drakeford is burying his head in the sand and sought help from the

00:55 Llywydd Ellen Jones to get a fuller answer. It can't be just open to questions that you like

01:00 that you answer. You should answer the questions that deserve the answers to give clarity to people

01:06 who want those answers such as the Covid bereaved families. So I ask you again First Minister can

01:11 you clarify the point that I've put to you? I clarified my position on the 7th of November.

01:18 I've nothing to add to that. The inquiry has heard from others. If the inquiry wishes to ask me

01:25 questions on the points that they have heard about of course I will answer the inquiry but

01:30 that is where those answers will be provided. Can I seek your support Presiding Officer because

01:38 surely Parliament deserves greater respect than that? The First Minister is responsible for the

01:45 content of his own answers and that's not a matter for me. I would say that the inquiry is to question

01:52 the First Minister and the First Minister will be appearing before the inquiry next week. That

01:58 didn't stop Friar Lap-Yor-Worth, leader of Plaid Cymru, who says he was asking his own questions

02:02 not the inquiry's questions but again Mark Drakeford declined to answer. Anything that

02:08 takes away the fullest possible account of the goings-on in government during Covid

02:13 means government isn't being as transparent as it can be with the families of those who lost

02:19 loved ones as well as with us as parliamentarians. Will the First Minister concede that deleting

02:25 messages no matter how informal was not only wrong but also in breach of his government's own rule?

02:31 Same answer applies to the leader of Plaid Cymru as it does to the leader of the opposition.

02:35 The inquiry is here to ask those questions. That's why it is in Wales. I'm not going to offer

02:42 a preview of the questions and I will be asked as a witness to the inquiry.

02:49 This is a difficult one because the Covid inquiry is ongoing but opposition argue that we're better

02:54 to speak openly than our elected senate. Mark Drakeford will be questioned in the near future

02:58 both by the inquiry and then by his opposition. James B. Watkins reporting from Wales.

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