Which brings me to the challenges of the next three to four months. And it is important that we discuss this today, because we are going to have recess on Friday, a new Prime Minister will come into force next week, he will form a new Government, and we will not be returning until mid September. A lot can happen in that time. Businesses in Wales lack clarity on our future trading arrangements, and are currently wrestling with preparations for a damaging 'no deal' Brexit. The risks to the food and drinks industry, particularly the red meat sector, are considerable. We know that 88 per cent of food and drink exports currently go to the European market and that the tariffs that would be placed on these exports in the event of no deal and World Trade Organization rules could be crippling. And, moreover, the effects of non-tariff barriers and of sanitary and biosecurity checks at our borders and ports would pose a significant threat to the Welsh economy and the flow of goods and services with our nearest markets. And whilst we have been assured to some extent of the Welsh Government's planning as regards these matters, we will continue to scrutinise their activities in these areas during the coming months, and it must be said that no amount of planning—no amount of planning—can prepare us for such a scenario fully.

Turning to our second priority, leaving the EU necessitates the need for the Governments and legislatures of the constituent nations of the United Kingdom to transform the way they work together, and to ensure the interests of their nations are managed fairly as we leave the range of EU-wide common policy frameworks. Fundamentally, there appears to be a consensus emerging from all, except the UK Government, that existing inter-governmental structures must change to keep pace with our future outside the EU. We, and the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee, have previously highlighted that inter-governmental mechanisms within the UK are inadequate. That's a gentle word, because we were stronger in some of our other condemnations of it. And it is the inadequacy of these mechanisms that is likely to cause the increasing strain in the relationship between the UK and devolved Governments in the months and the years ahead. There are two new scrutiny challenges that we, as an Assembly, must address with some urgency, and that's the emergence of UK-wide common policy frameworks and the impact on devolution of UK international agreements.

Llywydd, I am pleased to note the action the Chairs' forum commented upon last week. They've agreed to take work in relation to the frameworks forward, and Chairs of their respective committees will pass it on with their committees. I'm very much appreciative of that fact. I look forward to working with colleagues from across the Chamber and other Assembly committees as we meet those challenges posed under these new scrutiny tasks. And a very serious question we must ask ourselves is: how do we scrutinise these? And perhaps how do we do so with other legislatures as well. In doing so, we must keep in mind that decisions on frameworks and international agreements will have a profound effect on our ability to implement policies for the people of Wales in devolved areas, which are obviously of importance. For example, agricultural policy, environmental protection, and aspects of healthcare and transport policy—they can all be impacted upon by international agreements and the Welsh Government would be required to discuss the implementation of those through its policies.

Our third priority relates to the freedom of movement and the continuation of citizens' rights after Brexit. And although there's broad consensus that there should be a reciprocal guarantee on citizens' rights after Brexit, there are still large areas of future policy that need to be considered and agreed. And it's for that reason that we have launched a consultation into the implications of the UK Government’s White Paper on the future of immigration rules after Brexit. We will also be launching an online conversation through the Dialogue app in the coming weeks, and holding focus group sessions with those most likely to be affected by changes to these rules in the autumn term. We cannot fail to do so. It is critical that we support our EU citizens living in Wales, because throughout this process, the important thing for us as a committee is to state clearly to EU citizens living in Wales, 'You will always be welcomed here. The contribution you make is valued, and we hope that you will continue to make your lives here as part of our communities up and down this great country of ours.'

This was the message that I relayed during the recent visit of His Excellency the Romanian ambassador to the UK. It was frightening, in an unofficial discussion we had with him and his accompanying group from the honorary consulate in Wales, to hear them highlight how they as a family, or their children, were actually still told to go home—and they were children going to a Welsh-medium school. It's a message I want to continue to relay during the months ahead of us. It's something I think every Member in this Chamber will want to join with me in relaying—that Wales will always be a home to people who want to live here and work here and actually help us serve our people. Diolch yn fawr.