The programme for government opens by addressing the needs of a prosperous and secure Wales. The central challenge of the next five years for this Government is the task of creating a new economic policy that works for Wales in the new world in which we find ourselves. We are trying to navigate our way at the moment through uncharted waters. We don’t know yet, any of us, what Brexit will mean for trade, for immigration, for jobs. And the kind of relationship we have with the EU will obviously be influenced by a set of highly complex negotiations, and, needless to say, getting the right outcome for Wales is vital.

But there’s more at stake even than the precise settlement that Wales achieves as a result of those discussions. The fundamental challenge for us now is to make globalisation work for the communities who have felt so let down by its effects. And the answer to that can’t be to close our doors and hope that the challenges we face, globalised markets, the effects of technology and the movement of people around the world somehow pass us by, because they will not. So, I’m pleased to see, in the programme for government and in the statements of the Cabinet Secretary for the economy and the First Minister, a clear commitment to attracting more investment to Wales, and to opening up export markets for Welsh companies. We need also to build the resilience of our domestic economy, to put in place, insofar as any Government can, the conditions that enable our small companies to become robust, medium-sized companies, to help them develop local supply chains and to support their local labour market.

So, again, I welcome the commitments in the programme for government for the business accelerator scheme and the Wales development bank. I welcome the commitment to using procurement policy to support community benefits. But I’d ask the Government also not to lose sight of the growth of self-employment and microbusiness, which will be an increasing feature of our economy, even beyond what it is today, and to put in place the policy interventions we need to support those as well.

I welcome the recognition I’ve heard from the Government, from the skills Minister and others that we must build on the success we’ve achieved in getting people into jobs, with a focus now on supporting progression within the workplace. Getting a job should be the start. We want to make sure that those in employment can progress, acquire more skills and earn more. And I’m pleased to see the continued focus of policy on bringing into work those in our communities who are furthest from the workplace. We’ve had a great deal of success with our employment support policies, but it’s right that we keep challenging ourselves to ensure that the support we provide meets the changing needs of our economy and workforce.

We need to think broadly about what a good job looks like. A good job is one that supports people to live and work in their community, if that’s what they want, to care for their families and to be fully engaged members of a resilient community. Those are also vital aspects of the good society. So, I welcome the Government’s commitment to supporting projects delivered at a community level, projects to promote skills development, job creation, entrepreneurship, community energy, rural transport and broadband access. And let’s not forget that our partners in the voluntary sector can be allies for creating the kind of resilient, revitalised communities we want. So, that will involve challenge and commitment on both sides.

One of the great challenges we face today is how to redesign the support we give to disadvantaged communities when we no longer have access to structural funds. It’s very early days at this stage, of course, but we will need a system of support that is flexible, not rigid, that’s part of a Wales-wide strategy with clear priorities but tailored intelligently to local needs as well.

So, finally, I welcome the Government acknowledgement in the programme for government that our ambitions will be shaped by the challenges we face. It lists ongoing austerity, UK withdrawal from the EU, globalisation, technological innovation, climate change and an ageing population—all true, and I would add to that challenge the challenge of engaging the public in what we do and how we do it. That is no small challenge, but we are a small nation and it should be how we approach all our work. So, I’m pleased that initiatives such as the Valleys taskforce have put at their core the aim of engaging communities in their work in a very fundamental way. I hope that that can become the principle for how we deliver the programme for government across the board.