Diolch yn fawr, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Well, it’s clear from the debate this afternoon that the impact of the decision taken on 23 June continues to be felt keenly, and that the extent of the economic, political, constitutional and social challenges are increasingly making themselves clear. To wrestle with the consequences of the referendum vote is not to contest its outcome, but nor is it to turn our back on those powerful arguments that made the case for Wales’s position in Europe.

As a Government, we are now focused on doing everything within our power to mitigate any negative effects and to ensure the best possible outcome for Wales. During the referendum campaign, substantial promises were made by members of the ‘leave’ side, as Simon Thomas so well illustrated in his contribution. Many Welsh voters will have made their decisions based on those promises, and it is interesting to see that it is a shared ambition across this Chamber that those promises should be honoured, and honoured in full.

A key argument used to promote the ‘leave’ side was claims about the size of the UK’s contribution to the EU budget, with those heavily publicised promises that this money would be spent on the NHS, as well as another long list of causes to which it was to be applied. Now, the Wales share of what was claimed to be £350 million a week would indeed make a huge and welcome impact. The speed with which those who stood in front of buses plastered with this claim have since distanced themselves from it has been one of the phenomena of the post-referendum period.

Now, from an EU-funding perspective, the decision to leave the European Union will hit Wales hard. Wales currently benefits from in excess of £600 million per year of EU funds that support economic, social and rural development. Now, once again, clear promises were made by the ‘leave’ campaign that Wales would not lose out as a result of the UK coming out of the European Union. The First Minister has already written to the then Prime Minister asking that that guarantee—that solid guarantee that we were offered by the leader of the Conservatives here in Wales—must be honoured, and for every penny of EU funds to be replaced so that Wales does not lose out. The First Minister has called on the UK Government to ensure the continuation of funds for the period up to 2020 to be honoured as well, whether via the European Union itself or via the replacement of Treasury funding. Failure to secure replacement funding would disproportionately disadvantage Wales, and it is clear that these funds have made major positive effects, creating jobs, supporting thousands of businesses and helping people into work and training.

Now, Dirprwy Lywydd, that was quite certainly the message from partners around the table at the extraordinary programme monitoring committee meeting that I chaired on Friday of last week. The private sector, public authorities, universities, the third sector, farming interests—as set out this afternoon by Huw Irranca-Davies and Simon Thomas—all were united in a call for the excellent work that they have undertaken to be continued until the natural end of this round of structural funds. That was echoed in Leanne Wood’s call for a united position in arguing Wales’s corner in the circumstances we now face. [Interruption.] Of course.