Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and may I declare an interest as one of the honorary presidents of CWVYS? May I thank you for your statement, Minister? Part of me expected a little more meat on the bones today, I have to be honest. I had expected a perhaps clearer response in terms of the direction of travel and the national strategy for youth work. The only decision that we’ve heard about is that others will now suggest to you what that decision should be. I’m sure you will say that this an opportunity for the sector to contribute to the process, and, of course, I would welcome that, but much of that will rely on who the members of the board that you’ve created will be, but I will return to that issue in a few moments’ time.

I welcome the emphasis on looking anew at ‘Extending Entitlement’. The committee recommended as its first recommendation, I believe, looking again at a national strategy for youth work, and, in your response to that recommendation, you said that may come as a result of reviewing ‘Extending Entitlement’. But the strategy, of course, will lapse in 2018, next year, and so, in looking at the timetable you have in mind, are you confident that a new strategy will have been drawn up in time by that point? Because, if the final decision isn’t to be made until next summer on ‘Extending Entitlement’, it’s difficult to see how a new strategy could be in place by the end of next year.

I’m also aware that there is a sub-group that has been looking at reviewing ‘Extending Entitlement’—a sub-group to the youth work reference group. Am I right, therefore, to understand that Margaret Jervis will lead the work of that sub-group, or is what you’ve announced today a new process to all intents and purposes, and that process will be operating separately? One of the questions that the committee, of course, asked in its recent inquiry into youth work in Wales was: who drives youth work? Your announcement of the creation of a national youth support service board may be a means of creating a national approach—perhaps some kind of embryonic national body; I’m not sure if that is a possibility, perhaps you could tell me—but, of course, looking at wider support services than just youth work is the role of the board, according to your statement. Is there therefore a risk that that will mean that perhaps we will lose some of the focus on youth work specifically in the work of the board? Because the committee’s inquiry was into youth work, ‘The Future of Youth Work’ is the title of this statement, but it seems to me that it relates more to the future of youth support services in terms of what’s been announced about the board. So, what I’m looking for is an assurance that there won’t be a loss of focus on youth work in the work of the board, and that the voice of the sector will not be diluted in that discussion because of debates surrounding wider support services.

And where, then, does that leave the current structures? For example, will the current structures remain in place whilst this board carries out its functions? That is, I assume that the ministerial reference group will continue with its work during this time. You say that one of the roles of the board will be to scrutinise and to constructively challenge Government. Perhaps you could expand upon how you anticipate them doing that. Will it be directly to you? That would be one approach. Will there be annual reports or will there be statements or public interventions that you would expect from the chair and members of the board?

And, of course, funding—you state that one of the roles of the board will be to look at the distribution of youth work grants. Well, if they are to oversee new arrangements for youth work grants, then are you providing some sort of vision, in the sense that you anticipate, for example, that the NVYO grant scheme will continue beyond this final year? Or are you saying, ‘Well, draw up a whole new regime’? If you are saying that, when would you expect to see those details available? Because many people will be seeking an assurance—or at least they will want to know when what comes next is to be declared.

I’ll finish by returning to the beginning of your statement. You quite rightly emphasise quality, and that was a strong theme, from what I hear, in the contribution that you made to the national conference on youth work last week. Now, in focusing on quality, is one right in assuming that you see the role of the quality mark beyond the current commitment of March 2018? Because there is an agreement in place at the moment until that time. If not, then what do you believe will drive the quality agenda within the youth work sector? Because the message that we’re hearing—