Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'd like to thank Members for a spirited and difficult debate, with lots of criticism, and that is to be expected. I'll recognise at the outset that the Government will support amendment 2, as we do recognise the workforce challenges faced. We might have worded it differently, but I think it's wrong to try and dance on a pin about individual wording in the amendment. We recognise the central challenge that is made and recognised in the amendment.

Following special measures in June 2015, areas outlined for immediate action at the time were: governance, leadership and oversight, mental health services—the most significant area of concern—maternity services at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, reconnecting with the public, and GP and primary care out-of-hours services. Now, special measures themselves do not amount to the Welsh Government taking direct control and running the health board. They are the highest level of intervention, but the health board are still in place and running services. There's no-one directing in Cathays Park and making choices about how to run the organisation. The intervention in place has worked alongside the board and staff to try and make progress and improve services and has significantly increased our oversight and the accountability arrangements.

I, of course, value the hard work of our staff in delivering services and supporting patients right across north Wales. When I visit north Wales, as I do regularly, I meet staff and I'm impressed by the recognition and commitment they have to delivering the improvements needed. I am pleased that people, in this debate, recognise the commitment of our staff, but I would gently say to all Members in all parties—I do not want to point at any particular person—when recognising the commitment of staff and their hard work, to then refer to the health board as being a catastrophe or in crisis does undermine that. It undermines and it affects the staff on the front line. The challenges that the health board faces are not in every single area of operation. Having that broad brush does have an impact on the staff as well as the politics in this place.

In the Government's statement of October 2015, I stated that the health board would remain in special measures for a minimum of two years and that longer plans were needed to build on this initial phase of stabilisation in order to tackle more fundamental challenges that do exist, particularly to improve mental health services in north Wales.

In January 2016, the Welsh Government published an improvement framework, setting out the progress milestones to be met under three phases: the plan, if you like, for improvement. The health board reported on the first phase in March 2016, the second phase in December 2016, and is due to report on the third phase next month, December. Healthcare Inspectorate Wales and the Wales Audit Office have undertaken a third review on progress on governance arrangements, and this was published in June this year. That review recognised the health board was broadly moving in the right direction. It noted that leadership has been strengthened, the board is working more effectively and special measures are helping to focus on areas where action is required.

Progress has been made in meeting a number of the milestones set, including a full executive being in place, including six new appointments since special measures. Time and effort have been applied to improving the performance of the board with an ongoing board development programme, and the Wales Audit Office and HIW joint review noted they had seen visible improvements to the effectiveness of the board. Complaints and concerns, as mentioned here,  are now led by the nurse director, and there's been a material improvement in responsiveness. A mental health strategy was developed in partnership with service users and staff, and agreed in April of this year. There's been a successful approach to turn around primary care services in Prestatyn, now modelled with not just interest across Wales, but further afield as well.

On maternity services, one of the most significant challenges at the time of special measures, we have seen significant progress in key areas, including, for example, reduced reliance on agency, from 50 per cent to 10 per cent. The service is now compliant with Birthrate Plus, and pre-registration midwifery students who were removed in 2015 from Ysbyty Glan Clwyd have now all returned, so that all sites across the health board are being fully utilised for training purposes. And, of course, the work on the sub-regional neonatal intensive care centre is progressing well, and I expect the unit to open in spring next year.