Diolch. The background to this statement here today, I believe, is a manifesto commitment that the First Minister made in April. But, when he announced this taskforce, he said it was being done, and I quote:

‘to challenge the relentless pessimism that we hear from Plaid Cymru…in the Valleys. To listen to them, you’d think that nothing ever happened here. Well, it’s our job to put them right’.

But, I think it’s less about putting us right than talking to the people of the area and trying to empower them, and their communities, to make decisions for their own lives. How do we know this? As you’ve already said, Minister, it’s because of the referendum result. In spite of billions of pounds of European money flowing into the Valleys, many people looked around them and asked whether their lives had been materially improved.

Of course, we can always point to projects here and there, but has all that money dealt conclusively with the legacy of post-industrialisation? Has is brought an end to high unemployment and an unwell population? Has it really delivered economic opportunity and reduced crime and other anti-social issues? The answer is that it has not. We are still stuck with these issues, as we were 20, 30 or 40 years—or half a century—ago, and it isn’t good enough.

So, the first thing this taskforce needs to be concerning itself with, in my view, is outcomes—how you will measure the success of your efforts. Why not start with the fundamental question: how has this or that policy or initiative improved the lives of the people of the Valleys? It seems to me to be the most elementary question, but probably the most important question here. So, I’d like the Minister to say how outcomes will be measured. I would also like to know whether the criteria for measurement will be decided independently rather than by the Welsh Government, because that’s rather like marking your own work, and, as I’ve already said, people in the Valleys aren’t really buying it at the moment.

I’d also like to know how you intend to start this conversation with people. We’re talking about engagement post Brexit and people being annoyed with politicians. How do you want to talk to people other than the usual suspects? We have to engage with people in their communities if they now tell us that they feel that politicians are distant. How are you going to make sure that that changes in terms of the future?

I’m pleased that the terms of reference refer to delivering opportunity rather than combating poverty. We’ve had the latter for as long as I can remember being an Assembly Member, and it hasn’t worked. I’m firmly of the view that if we really want to deliver jobs, then many of the other issues will look after themselves if we focus on the economic prospects of people in these areas. So, I would like to understand—. I know that Communities First doesn’t just exist in south Wales, but if you are going to be launching this new taskforce, how, then, does it marry into schemes like this and other anti-poverty initiatives that may interweave or conflict with what you are doing in this new initiative?

I think that, rather than seeking—going back to what I was saying at the start—to shoot the messenger, the Welsh Government needs to take a hard look at itself, because it’s not just Plaid Cymru that’s saying that not enough is being done. The Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee reported in June last year, saying that, by the Welsh Government’s lack of progress in reducing poverty, particularly given its long-term commitment investing in the issue, there was deep concern there. So, we need to look at, instead of putting blame on people, treating the symptoms of poverty and tackling the root causes of poverty.

I’d like to know whether, in the wake of the referendum, as you mentioned Brexit at the beginning, the Welsh Government has reviewed the effectiveness of European money that has been spent in the south Wales Valleys area. After all, if it is the provider of funding, rather than deliverer of its intended purposes, then the EU can only shoulder some of the blame if that funding does not lead to significant and measurable improvement. Or, to put it another way, new pavements or a walkway in a town centre won’t deliver jobs in and of themselves—it’s what goes in and around that that counts.

Lastly, I’d like to know what this taskforce will do to break the link between poverty and poor educational attainment. In this party, we’ve pushed for community-focused schools with strong links to families and the wider community, and I think that the Welsh Government must deliver its own manifesto pledge to pilot a new model of community learning centres, providing extended services from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with childcare, parenting support, family learning and community access to facilities built around the school day. There is cross-party support for such a proposal, and we have also pledged to turn schools into community hubs so that they can be open at weekends, they can be open to the community, as opposed to just open at school times, and we can then engage on a wider basis in terms of eradicating poverty in Wales. I don’t disagree with the setting up of this taskforce, but I don’t either want it to be just another piece of work that sits on a bookshelf somewhere and gets forgotten about; I want people in the Valleys areas who feel, often, quite disenfranchised and disengaged to become part of the debate in the future so that we can make devolution work for them and we can make the future of Wales be part of their conversation, not just ours as politicians.