Legislation – The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2020

Part 2A of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 enables the Welsh Ministers, by regulations, to make provision for the purpose of preventing, protecting against, controlling or providing a public health response to the incidence or spread of infection or contamination in Wales.

These Regulations are made in response to the serious and imminent threat to public health which is posed by the incidence and spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Wales.

Regulation 2 of these Regulations makes two amendments to the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (“the principal Regulations”).

Paragraph (3) amends regulation 13 of the principal Regulations to increase the amount of the fixed penalty for repeated breaches of the Regulations up to a maximum of £1920. The increased penalties apply to any fixed penalty notice issued on or after 22 May 2020. When determining the number of notices received by a person for the purposes of calculating the amount of fixed penalty, notices received before 22 May will be counted.

Paragraph (2) makes a minor amendment to regulation 3 of the principal Regulations consequential upon an amendment made to that regulation by regulation 2(2) of the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2020.

The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to these Regulations. As a result, a regulatory impact assessment has not been prepared as to the likely cost and benefit of complying with these Regulations.