Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's decision to not consult the Children's Commissioner for Wales ahead of the decision on school closures in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic?
The evidence I gave to the UK Covid 19 Inquiry set out how decisions were taken in relation to school closures during the pandemic. The transcript is available here ED-C-19 Inquiry 120324 Module 2B Day 10.ecl (covid19.public-inquiry.uk).
The Children’s Commissioner and her office were key partners of the Welsh Government during the pandemic response and further evidence on the engagement with the Children’s Commissioner for Wales can be found in the published statements of both Kirsty Williams INQ000362237.pdf (covid19.public-inquiry.uk), Minister for Education until May 2021 and the former Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Sally Holland. INQ000361393.pdf (covid19.public-inquiry.uk)