Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. It's a great privilege and honour to be able to respond to Members today in this debate. I'd like to thank Members for their contributions and I think Nick Ramsay is absolutely right: prosperity is dependent on more than just the levers in one department within Government. However, I am very pleased to be able to respond to this debate.

At the outset, I'd like to say that our new approach, which is set out in the economic action plan, will enable all parts of Wales to develop their strengths and to embrace their opportunities so that they not only make a bigger contribution to wealth and well-being nationally, but that they also benefit from it more. A more effective and collaborative approach to regional economic development will undoubtedly help to address this, and that's why we've introduced chief regional officers, and why we're establishing three regional units under their leadership. Russell George is absolutely right to insist that they have sufficient human and financial resource, and I'll say a little more about that shortly.

The units will support work to consolidate regional governance structures, effective alignment of levers across Government departments and the development of co-produced regional plans. The chief regional officers and their teams I think are the glue that helps to bind together the regions around common cause and unity of purpose, bringing leadership and coherence to the good work that is already taking place at a regional level. This includes, of course, the role of city and growth deals in driving regional growth. City and growth deals are not a panacea, but they do have a critical role to play, provided that they are effectively co-ordinated alongside wider interventions, and I think it's vital that all of Wales feels included in this particular initiative, and that's why we're supportive of the ambitions of north Wales and mid Wales for their growth deals.

They shouldn't be seen simply as project-funding vehicles, though. They are critical tools in providing a framework that allows regions to drive a new way of collaborative working, setting priorities as a single voice and delivering key functions at a strategic level. Each region needs to identify its priorities and then to take responsibility for driving sustainable economic growth across the region. Much has been said of the efforts in mid Wales and in north Wales, and I would urge all partners who are driving the deals to ensure that any deal demonstrates benefit for the whole of their region, and that they are transformational, aspirational and truly ambitious.

In December, we announced—[Interruption.] Yes, of course.