I’m pleased to take part in this debate this afternoon, and I intend to focus my contribution on what, in my view, needs to be done to ensure prosperity for all the people in my constituency.

The Government’s ‘Prosperity for All’ document plans to target interventions to the different economic needs of each region of Wales, ensuring that all parts of the country benefit from growth, and I hope that the Welsh Government will honour that commitment and start seriously investing in west Wales, which, until now, seems to be at the bottom of the Welsh Government’s priority list. Of course, it’s great that the Welsh Government has recognised that there are distinct challenges facing different parts of Wales, but for people living in Pembrokeshire, the continued lack of investment in the area shows that, whilst Government strategies and documents say one thing, Government policies say another. I’m sure that all Members understand that a one-size-fits-all approach to governing Wales just doesn’t work, and that’s why the Welsh Government now needs to develop a detailed and robust strategy that explains how rural Wales will be supported through this Assembly.

For example, the ‘healthy and active’ section of the ‘Prosperity for All’ document doesn’t even reference rural health services at all. The Welsh NHS and the provision of services continues to be the single most important issue that my constituents face, and yet this document doesn’t even recognise or even try to reassure people living in my area that the Welsh Government is listening.

The strategy talks of the importance of rapid treatment for people when they need it, as close to home as possible, and that’s something that the people of Pembrokeshire continue to fight for. However, the continued removal of health services away from families in Pembrokeshire is completely at odds with the Welsh Government’s own objective to deliver services as close to home as possible. You only have to look at the situation surrounding paediatric services in west Wales as an example of people having to travel further afield for treatment.

When the Welsh Government decided to close the special care baby unit at Withybush hospital, I made the point that travelling from St Davids to Carmarthen in an emergency situation is similar to people in Cardiff being forced to travel to Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny for emergency care. Now, of course, that would not be right for the people of Cardiff, and it’s not right for the people that I represent. Therefore, if the Welsh Government is seriously committed to delivering care as close to home as possible, then it’s time it started to reverse the centralisation of health services in west Wales and start to deliver proper investment in local health services.

The ‘Prosperity for All’ document doesn’t just focus on health objectives. It also reiterates some important infrastructure investments, including one commitment that will be of huge benefit to people and businesses in Pembrokeshire. I’m pleased that the document commits to enhancements to the A40 in west Wales, and I’m sure I don’t need to keep rehearsing the same lines in support of these enhancements other than to emphasise the fact that dualling the A40 is now needed to open west Wales up to the rest of the country and beyond. The case for dualling the A40 has been talked about since the 1950s, and so it’s high time that this project starts progressing. I hope that the First Minister shares my ambition to see the A40 in Pembrokeshire dualled, and I appreciate that that can’t happen overnight, and it will take significant funding, but all I’m asking now is for a firm commitment from the Welsh Government that it shares my objective to dual this stretch of road, and perhaps the First Minister will give this commitment when he responds to this particular debate.

I’m also pleased that the document commits to delivering fast, reliable broadband to those parts of Wales not currently served by the market. Again, Pembrokeshire falls into that category. We know how important access to the internet is, not just for businesses, but to everyone. For many people, it’s an increasingly important part of their lives and enables them to live much more independently by giving them access to information, education and good, reliable services. Indeed, in rural communities like Pembrokeshire that have already been hit disproportionately by bank closures, access to a fast, reliable broadband is essential for many people to be able to continue to have access to banking services. However, the reality for some people living in Wales is that they still don’t have access to an adequate broadband service and, as a result, they can’t enjoy or utilise the access to services that those in other areas do. Therefore, I again ask for more detailed information about when the Welsh Government will be specifically targeting notspots across Pembrokeshire, so that I can give local communities a much-needed update on when they can expect to see improvements.

So, in closing, Deputy Presiding Officer, the Welsh Government quite rightly states that there is much to be proud of, but many challenges remain, and it is only by being honest about these that we can tackle them. It’s time to be honest about the lack of investment and attention given to west Wales by previous Labour Governments and recognise that more must be done in the future to help our rural communities. Rural Wales can be so much more than it currently is. It just needs support and investment, and the people living in rural communities need to know that they are being considered by Welsh Government policies. So, I hope that the Welsh Government starts improving its support for west Wales. Therefore, I urge Members to support this motion.