I wish to, firstly, again, congratulate the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport on this important and historic news that the Welsh Government will invest £350 million in the building of Gwent specialist critical care centre. This announcement will be greatly welcomed by my constituents in Islwyn and it’s wonderful news for the people of Gwent and beyond.

The 460-bed project, which will serve a 600,000 population, reinforces what everybody knows: that, when it comes to the national health service, the party that created it—the Labour Party—are the party whose hands it is safest in.

Thirteen years in the making—an unlucky number—makes this decision very, very important for us, under that rigorous spotlight of scrutiny, but it is a lucky number for the people of Gwent and south-east Wales.

Just reading out the facilities that the specialist and critical care centre will provide demonstrates why the Minister was right and courageous to green-light this expensive project at a time when Wales is facing severe cuts. It will incorporate major emergency treatment and assessment with critical care beds and acute cardiac care beds. The in-patient service will handle major cases, with specialities such as general surgery, medicine, orthopaedics, haematology and vascular care. Also included will be in-patient obstetrics, midwifery and consultant-led services, gynaecology, emergency endoscopy, in-patient paediatrics and neo-natal intensive care, and I can go on.

Can I ask the Cabinet Secretary how he will enable effective transport links to be carried out? But, before all that, I also wish to underscore the sentiments that have already been presented. Thank you for this decision; thank you to this Welsh Labour Government, putting the people’s priorities first and ensuring that we have an NHS fit for our times, fit for the people of Gwent and beyond and fit for Wales.