Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. The great transporter suspension bridge; Dame Butler; Goldie Lookin Chain; Newport City Football Club; John Griffiths—his passion for Newport is, as always, inspiring, and these are just some of the things that give Newport its fame. He is a strong champion for the city and a determined advocate of action to ensure it continues to fulfil its potential.

Deputy Llywydd, I’m a Cabinet Secretary from the north, as you are very well aware, and I can say that Newport is blessed to have two of the finest Assembly Members in the south in their area—John Griffiths and Jayne Bryant—and I’m very pleased to be able to work with them. Their contribution here today says an awful lot about them and the city they represent. I welcome the opportunity to highlight the positive work that is being undertaken in this city and I’d like to echo the praise for some of the notable achievements already expressed in this debate today. Although, my slight disappointment is that, in my three visits to the city over the last two weeks, I haven’t yet found the Tiny Rebel brewery, but I’ll rely on Jayne Bryant to give me an introduction, perhaps. [Laughter.] As John Griffiths quite rightly says, Newport is a city on the rise; Newport is a city that’s moving in the right direction. Indeed, the Newport rising of the Chartists in 1839—I believe if John was old enough, he’d have been at the forefront of that, too.

Newport has been flying the flag in Wales in recent years, and has played host, very successfully, to privileged and prestigious events, such as the NATO summit in September 2014, drawing in leaders from across the world—President Obama in Newport; even he’s heard about it. And, of course, that followed the memorable Ryder Cup at the Celtic Manor in 2010. These events have put Newport and Wales on the map, and when the eyes of the world were upon us, Wales delivered—Newport delivered. We are fully aware of these events and they’re a starting point for the city and a fantastic springboard for further progress. So, the council and others need to be able to harness the positive effects of major events like these, to ensure that the benefits are felt through other local communities as well—indeed, in Hefin’s constituency, which is neighbouring—helping them to build resilience and becoming more prosperous as we move forward. A successful and thriving Newport isn’t just good for local residents; it benefits the surrounding areas too, and provides wider opportunities. We often hear, as I do in the north, about cities and places that compete with each other, and Newport being the second or the third town of south Wales. I think you’re coming close to the top, and I think, because of the work that you do as a collective—team Labour, John Griffiths and Jayne Bryant, working with Debbie Wilcox and the Labour team, and formerly Bob Bright—that’s shown we can rebuild our communities. I’m very proud to be part of that.

Through our capital regeneration programme, Vibrant and Viable Places, we provided £16 million of Vibrant and Viable Places capital funding to improve the new housing, to improve housing conditions, develop local infrastructure, and the key buildings that Members have alluded to today. Indeed, I was very pleased to visit Friars Walk in the city centre. There’s a whole new vibrancy around that area, and it’s a fantastic place to develop new business and to support employment, supporting the local community. But it’s not by chance—this has come about by planning, and the support of the local authority, and I hope that continues into the future.

I mentioned earlier that I visited Newport on three occasions in the last week, the latest being this morning—indeed, I was at the football ground that John Griffiths often appears at—not playing, but he’s an avid fan, and long may that continue, too. It’s great to know that the team are in the league that he was hoping for.

A fortnight ago I saw first-hand some of these excellent projects. The work undertaken at the national building demonstrates what can be achieved through strong partnership working—exactly what John Griffiths was talking about. The project now provides businesses premises, as well as 12 new homes in that city. Indeed, it was a privilege to open a new children’s nursery, which is a business that’s been able to expand due to the new facilities within a newly refurbished national building—a fantastic facility. The housing estate properties on Cardiff Road—again, I recognise all of these as transformational for this fine city.

Llywydd, I think there is a great journey for Newport, demonstrated by the vision of individuals as they pass through that community, but now people are not just passing through—they’re stopping and thinking and working, with an opportunity for involvement and investing there. Again, there is no shortage to the work undertaken by my good friend John Griffiths. I wish Newport the very best of luck, and I hope that progress continues, working with partners such as Newport City Homes and other partners, indeed, that work in that area. I think there is a great opportunity for all of us to say, ‘We’re backing Newport’, like the campaign, and that’s been highlighted today with the contribution by Members in this Chamber. I wish them the best of luck and hope that Newport continues to rise as a city for the future here in Wales. Diolch yn fawr.