I thank the Minister for his reference to Parc Penallta. I don't think we should have any doubt of the national interest that is taken into some of our Valleys parks and landmarks. Indeed, I took part in the winter of 2015 in a BBC national programme in which I was invited to be interviewed on the pit pony, which is the sculpted mound at Parc Penallta built in the honour of the pit pony Sultan. I wore my best suit and I climbed to the top of the mound of the pit pony. It was raining, it was the middle of winter and I got my legs covered in mud, almost right up to the top of my legs, but I was thinking, 'Oh well, it'll be broadcast from waist up,' only to discover that the programme was on BBC Radio 4. So there is a lesson in preparation for any media event that I've subsequently learned, but I won't be turning up to Sharp End in a cagoule and wellies.

I think the money for Parc Penallta is very welcome. You've promised to give me further information about what is specifically planned to engage with the community there. I can see the thinking, and it has been largely welcomed when I've mentioned it via social media. But some of the questions that have also been raised have been, 'Well, what about the winding wheel and pit baths in Penallta colliery, which is just across the road?' The problem is that this is privately owned, and it links directly with Penallta park, and I think there needs to be some consideration about how some public sector leverage can be used to do something with the pit baths and the winding wheel there.

And of course, Caerphilly castle—you cannot be an inspiring candidate for any office in Caerphilly without being pictured outside the castle. It is receiving much attention from the Deputy Minister for culture. It is good to see—in fact, it's almost his second home, Caerphilly castle, so many times I've seen him there—but it's good to see also that the landscape around the castle is now getting funded. Because one of the things—. The Deputy Minister and I were looking out towards Caerphilly town, and one of the things we felt was that the townscape needed work, and I think that is the focus of this additional funding, too.

But let's also not forget that we have a Welsh national mining memorial in Caerphilly, too, and I think that needs attention. I think Alun Davies made the point there needs to be a strategic intent to this funding, and if that strategic intent is to mean anything, then the Welsh national mining memorial must be part of that discovery zone, because it is key to the cultural landscape of the Caerphilly constituency.

The former Minister mentioned also the strategic hubs, and he mentioned the fact that the delivery is uneven in some places. I'd say that the strategic hubs missed a chance a little bit in Caerphilly, because I think there are areas—. It focused on Ystrad Mynach and the south of Caerphilly; I think there are areas in the Caerphilly constituency that need a strategic focus, and I think those are some of the areas I've already mentioned: Senghennydd and the Aber valley, Nelson, and the town that is closest to my heart because it's where I went to school, Bargoed. These areas need that strategic attention, and I know that the Minister has listened to me to some extent on this, and we've had the business workshop that we held in Bargoed, which was successful and a good learning opportunity. I'd say to Members who are planning to do it in their communities that there are things we learned there, particularly about getting businesses to know about what's going on. But also I think we need to think about how towns like Bargoed can be part of a bigger strategy, and I think that is something that still has some work to do, connecting those northern Valleys. And maybe I'd echo some of the things that perhaps Leanne Wood was getting at, that those strategic connections across the Valleys still need some work.

The issue of housing and the work to be done on housing is very welcome. I've long called for strategic development plans, and the Valleys taskforce finds a good footprint for a strategic development plan, at least in part, across that region. And what he was talking about, by bringing homes back into use, we are talking about moving housing further north and not building in those already overdeveloped areas in the south of the Caerphilly constituency. Making use of those properties that already exist and bringing them back into use is a key area. 

I think that there are real opportunities with the Valleys taskforce, but to echo his predecessor, I still think there are opportunities to learn as well, and I look forward to hearing what the Minister says in his response. One thing I'd say, finally, is that you can see his personality is imprinted on this, though, and that's quite impressive.