I thank the Minister for his statement this afternoon. The Welsh Conservatives welcome the setting up of this taskforce for the Valleys. The Minister said that the taskforce members have been drawn from a range of different sectors. However, I’m concerned that the membership of the taskforce is heavily weighted in favour of the public sector rather than the private sector. Given the importance of inward investment, entrepreneurship and skills to delivering economic benefits to the Valleys, why does the taskforce contain so few members with business experience?

The Minister referred to the first meeting in September. I have read the minutes of this meeting and was surprised that no mention was made of the importance of digital infrastructure to growing the economy of the Valleys. Research into the extent of digital exclusion in Wales shows that disparities in access to minimal speeds of broadband, 4G connectivity, internet skills and internet users determine how likely a community is to be digitally excluded. Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen all have a high risk of digital exclusion at present. How will the taskforce, across Government, in this and other areas, ensure it delivers positive results?

The Valleys benefited from millions of pounds in structural funding from the European Union and yet these communities had the highest percentage of votes to leave the European Union. People simply did not feel the benefits of EU funding. How will the Minister engage with these communities to ensure this taskforce meets the needs and aspirations of the people to deliver tangible benefits rather than just throwing money at the problems?

The statement set out four key challenges that the taskforce has to achieve. When will the Minister be in a position to provide targets by which we can measure the success of his progress in the fields of education, health, poverty, housing and economic development? Deputy Presiding Officer, finally, I welcome his commitment to develop clear and accountable outcomes for each of these priorities and look forward to receiving regular progress reports from him in future on what he just promised. Thank you.