Thank you, Presiding Officer, and if I could, first of all, begin by congratulating your good self on assuming the Presiding Officer’s role, and, indeed, the Deputy Presiding Officer, Ann Jones, on winning the ballot last week. I’m sure we are in safe hands—good hands—and ultimately you will map out your own very distinct way of running the Assembly’s affairs and standing up, as you both said in your acceptance speeches, for the backbenchers, but indeed for all Assembly Members in making this institution the exemplar that we all want it to be. Indeed, I’d also endorse what the First Minister said about the other candidates who put themselves forward for the Presiding Officer role and, indeed, DPO role, in that both of them are champions of this institution—Dafydd Elis-Thomas in the three years that he served in the Chair, and John Griffiths, who has served, in his time, in Government, but also from his time on the backbenches knows exactly what is required of the offices that you both assumed, and I know that we would have had equally good candidates. But, democracy spoke, and I wish you both well in your endeavours over the next five years.

I do congratulate you, First Minister, on assuming the title of First Minister today. I do recognise the point that you made in particular that, obviously, you have not got a majority here, and I think that it was very pertinent of you to make that point, and last week’s endeavours in this Chamber clearly showed that. I have to say I’ve never seen such a glum looking backbench, to be honest with you, here today, especially when the opposition leader was speaking. I think a lot of them were thinking, ‘What has gone on over the last couple of days?’, but it’s nice to see I’ve put a smile on some of their faces here today. But it is important that now, over the next 100 days, you do map out what your Government is going to seek to achieve. I would have much preferred a different outcome, but I respect the electorate and what they decided to do on 5 May. They returned you, not with a majority, but with the largest number of seats here and, ultimately, it is your right to form a Government and see whether you can put a package together that can enjoy the support of this Chamber. We will, from the benches here, hold you to account on each and every corner that you try and turn, but we will also seek to be constructive in the way we engage and debate on the points that need to be brought forward.

Listening to the talk from the leader of the opposition about turning the corner and making a new politics, there was that opportunity last week but, again, sadly, it’s Groundhog Day where Plaid have just fallen into line with the Labour Party and not chosen to try and develop a new form of politics here in Wales.

There are some key requirements of you in the first 100 days, First Minister, in particular around some of the key policy areas. Staff shortages within the NHS in particular is something that the Government does need to map out. You did allude to this in your statement. I can remember, in the last Assembly, when an initiative was brought forward by the previous Welsh Labour Government to deal with these staff shortages, and here we are some four years on with some of the problems—well, many of the problems—still facing the NHS, as was identified at Llandudno Junction last week, but all across the north Wales coast, where GP surgeries are handing their notices back in to Betsi Cadwaladr and there is real danger that some patients might find themselves without provision for GP surgeries. So, it is vital that you bring forward a strategy to say how you’re going to deal with these situations that are developing across the whole of the Welsh NHS.

I also believe that it is incumbent upon you to map out exactly what your thoughts are on local government, given that it was such a central plank of your previous Government’s reform package that you wanted to do away with many local authorities across Wales. We know that those elections face us next year, and I do think that, at your earliest opportunity, I hope that the Government will bring forward a statement to clearly map out and clarify what this new Government’s thinking is on the format and mapping of local government going forward.

Also, on infrastructure projects—large infrastructure projects—it is important that some clarity is brought around the debate on the M4 relief road—blue or black route or no route at all. This is an opportunity now for a new Government to map out and press the green light on what the option is. You as First Minister have put a huge amount of personal capital into the black route, and I think it is now incumbent on you to come forward and explain quite clearly how your new Government will take forward those proposals around Newport, if indeed they go forward at all.

I also would hope that, in the next couple of weeks, and ideally next week, a statement could be brought forward to clarify exactly what the arrangements are between you and Plaid. You did highlight some of the areas where co-operation would be working. In particular, for my interest—I’ll be clear—I’d like clarity around how the committees will be working that you’ve set up and what impact those committees will have on Government policy in particular, especially as you are charged with delivering that policy. Or will they just be reference points? So, I do hope that you will bring forward a statement as a matter of urgency so that we can put the questions to you to seek clarity as to how that agreement might unfold. Is it time limited? Who will be the representatives? You said it will be a Minister from your party—. Will it be an elected Member from Plaid Cymru or will it just be a Plaid Cymru appointee? These are all areas of accountability and moving into the field of accountability, with the Wales Bill announced in the Queen’s Speech today, it is vital that we do work together to actually deliver a Wales Bill that will actually deliver the responsibilities back to this institution, that does make it more accountable, that does reinforce Welsh democracy and that does command the confidence of the people of Wales in that journey that the Wales Bill has to undertake through Westminster but, importantly, the role that the Presiding Officer will take in making sure that those negotiations are clear and robust and ultimately have the outcome that we would all be seeking in this fifth term of the Assembly.

So, I do wish you well, First Minister, but there are many, many challenges ahead of us. I, like you, believe that the Welsh people, as entrepreneurial and as talented as people anywhere else in the United Kingdom—indeed, anywhere else you will find the world—. The one issue that I think we can work quite collaboratively together on is the steel crisis that has obviously taken so much time, and rightly taken so much time, over the last weeks and months, because we must work across Governments and across parties to secure a successful sale of the Tata Steel assets so that communities can be protected, jobs can be protected and, ultimately, we do have a secure steel-making capacity here, going forward, that is profitable and is invested in the communities the length and breadth of Wales.

So, I congratulate you, First Minister; I wish you well, but ultimately, I don’t wish you too much well, because of the politics of all this. [Applause.]