Well, can I thank you for your statement, and align myself wholeheartedly with the comments made earlier about your role in fulfilling your capacity as Chair? And I agree wholeheartedly with the contents of your statement. But I offer a few comments—and questions—not maybe on a particular inquiry, but certainly on a thematic level.

Now, I’m particularly keen for the committee to examine the opportunities for the Welsh Government to transition more decisively to a preventative approach to its work, in terms of investment and policy, across, of course, the breadth of policies relating to the committee. Now, the Welsh Government, in fairness, is increasingly talking about that, moving in that direction, and especially the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children here, who, in fairness, has been quite keen on this, to say the least, and I welcome that. But do you agree with me that more could be done to implement and accelerate a move in that direction, and what do you believe the committee can contribute, to encourage the Government to move, increasingly, in that direction?

Now, another key area of course, I believe, is to contribute to achieving greater parity of esteem between vocational and academic education and qualifications. And I hope that this can be one of the big legacies of this Assembly, certainly in terms of a longer-term approach, and certainly it’s one we should be approaching, in my view—or pursuing, I should say—as a committee. And I’d be interested in hearing your views about how you think we can most effectively try and do that.

Thirdly, on a less positive note, in relation to our inquiry on youth work, and we’ve already heard reference to it—and I would declare an interest as one of the honorary presidents of the Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Services—could I ask whether you do share my disappointment, having written to the Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language three separate occasions, that we’re still waiting for answers to six pretty direct, pretty straightforward questions about the way the decision was made around the funding of CWVYS? The first letter was sent in early November, a subsequent letter in December. We’ve been forced again to write this month, and, of course, we’re still waiting for answers. If the committee is to fulfil its role in scrutinising the Welsh Government, in holding Ministers to account, then such evasive responses, which make no effort in fact to answer the questions that we’ve asked, from the Minister, not only obstructs our work but is, in my view, wholly unacceptable. So, do you share my disappointment in that respect? And, secondly, what course of action do you propose the committee should take if, at the third time of asking, we still don’t get answers to our questions?

Finally, I hope the committee can reflect through our work the core principles of youth work, in terms of offering young people empowering, educative, expressive, inclusive and participative experiences. And you referred to the very meaningful engagement with young people that clearly will be—has been, and will continue to be—a central feature of our work. But I’m just wondering whether we can take that further. Could we, for example, delegate the choice of a future inquiry to young people? Could we develop opportunities for young people to shadow committee members in some way? Should there be a young people’s vision of the Children, Young People and Education Committee, maybe as part of the proposed young people’s assembly, so that we can truly maximise the involvement of children and young people in our deliberations as a committee over the months and years to come?