Many, many months—and two years, indeed. Can I thank Mark Reckless for taking a very consistent position on this matter himself? He’s not taken such a consistent position on which political party he should be a member of, but on this issue he has remained very consistent indeed.

Turning to our priorities for north Wales, I should say that I was very pleased to be able to attend earlier today the inaugural meeting of the north Wales group on cross-border issues, chaired by my colleague Hannah Blythyn, where we discussed a number of important matters that will be faced by the region and that we must face here in the Assembly in years to come. It’s my view—and I share the view of Russell George in his assertion of the potential of the cross-border economy—that north Wales’s growth deal bid must be dovetailed with the growth deal that is emerging on the English side of the border through the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership. They must be complementary and must also seek to build on the existing capabilities of the cross-border area of the Mersey-Dee and north Wales region.

I think it’s absolutely essential that the case for a north Wales growth deal is maintained—one that does reflect the cross-border nature of the economy. In terms of transport alone—and transport will be a critical element of the growth deal, I have no doubt—this Welsh Labour Government has already committed to spending more than £200 million on resolving the Deeside corridor, which, of course, is crucial. Mark Reckless identified the Deeside area as being a primary engine for the Welsh economy. Well, that single route—that A494—is critically important and requires upgrading, and I’m very pleased to be consulting with the public on the two proposals that we have developed for the A494 and the A55. But we’re also looking at investing tens of millions of pounds in rail infrastructure, even though we are not responsible for it—the UK Government is—to enhance capacity in north-east Wales, developing the metro concept, but also looking at investing considerable sums in resolving pinch points in the trunk road network and, of course, taking forward the important third crossing for the Menai. Of course, one of the biggest single boosts that could be given to the economy of north Wales would be the electrification of the north Wales main line, but I fear that that has not yet been promised by the UK Government, certainly not in the near future.

Returning to the contribution made by Russell George, I thought his contribution specifically with regard to mid Wales was absolutely essential. North-south links are crucial to the economy and mid Wales makes a vital contribution to the culture and economy of Wales. I also believe that whilst the north-south links are significant indeed, so too are east-west ties. I see three primary arcs of prosperity emerging for Wales: one that crosses north Wales, one that crosses mid and west Wales and a third that spans south Wales—all three potentially benefitting from cross-border collaboration and ties. I’m very keen—