I'd like to thank Professor Holtham for producing yet another insightful report, which will help inform one of the biggest decisions facing our nation: how do we pay for social care? No-one can deny that this is a pressing concern. Social care is in crisis, as the health committee has pointed out. The current level of funding is insufficient to meet current demand, let alone future need. The Welsh Government blames austerity. The opposition blames the Welsh Government. But both are right. Austerity has led to unsustainable cuts, but the way the cuts have been implemented lies firmly at the Welsh Government's door. Local government has cut social care to the bone in recent years, yet they have been allowed to build up massive reserves. Health boards have been allowed to mismanage their finances, and they are not alone. Our Welsh Government bodies have also hit the headlines in recent months as a result of financial mismanagement. Nobody wins in this blame game. And while politicians bicker over whose fault it is, people in desperate need of social care suffer. One thing that all sides agree on is that future demand will outstrip our ability to pay for social care.

Wales is facing massive demographic upheaval in the coming decades. The number of working age adults will be outstripped by the numbers of retirees, and the numbers of people living with long-term chronic illness is set to rocket. Therefore, we need to ensure that we plan for the changes coming, to ensure that we have sufficient funding to provide great quality social care and ensure that whatever the source of that funding, it is equitable.

Gerry Holtham's report gives us one idea for how we pay for care, but it shouldn't really be up to us, the politicians, to decide, because we need a national conversation about the best way to pay for care—a way that is acceptable to all. I personally don't believe that raising income tax is the answer, but then again that's not up to me. The Welsh public has a right to decide what would be the most fair and equitable method of paying for social care. Do we cut other areas of spending? Do we raise income tax? Should we increase national insurance? Would a new social care insurance be the answer? All options should be open for discussion, and whatever the most supported option is, that should be the option we take forward. Our job now is to start that conversation, to facilitate it and ensure that everyone has an opportunity to partake.

However we decide to pay for social care, we have to ensure intergenerational fairness and ensure that funds raised are used to pay for front-line social care, not more local government bureaucracy. As Dai Lloyd stated, it isn't just about finance; it is about how we deliver the care. Can we use a more holistic approach in our delivery? How can we improve the care received and how can we ensure our carers feel valued and that they receive the proper training? We have a crisis looming, and we need to decide as a nation how we meet it. Diolch yn fawr.