I thank the Deputy Minister for bringing forward this statement. As Welsh Conservatives, we are delighted, actually, that the Welsh Government is now implementing the Welsh Conservative policy of providing 30 hours a week of Government-funded childcare for working parents, and we will join with you in paying tribute to the 2,000 childcare providers currently delivering the offer and to our local authorities who are having to implement this. On considering your statement, however, I was struck by the lack of some attention given to the situation some service providers have found themselves in and a little perplexed that you've described the offer as being so successful.

The National Day Nurseries Association is warning that the offer is actually putting a strain on nurseries as it is rolled out across Wales. Really, this is becoming a nursery nightmare as the services are reporting that they're struggling to recruit enough qualified staff to meet the extra demand. So, I hope you don't mind, I have got four questions. Given that properly functioning nurseries are central to the success of the offer, will you clarify what immediate steps you're able to take to make sure that more people are choosing to train to become nursery workers and that those already in the sector actually choose to stay? We're seeing far too many leave this profession. 

Question 2: having considered the results of a recent survey of 118 early-years settings that are responsible for employing over 1,350 members of staff and delivering places to more than 8,000 children, I was struck by the fact that only around 5 per cent of the workforce is made up of men. So, I believe that there is great potential for increasing the number of men in the profession and for this to be one way through which the lack of staff could be addressed. So, therefore, will you explain what steps are being taken to ensure that the childcare sector is seen as being open to both men and women?

Question 3: as always, finance is a major consideration for any profession, but in this instance, many of the 17,000 people working in childcare across Wales are on minimum wage. Now, I know that a Welsh Government spokesperson has advised that you'll be reviewing the rate you pay for the childcare offer, including an assessment of the impact of changes to the national living wage. Therefore, will you provide an update on this work and explain what consideration you have given to aligning the rates paid through the foundation phase and childcare offer?

And finally, I was unsurprised to read in your statement that you are now considering the feasibility of expanding the offer to support parents in education and training or on the point of returning to work, because I think you'll be aware that, certainly, myself and my colleague Suzy Davies AM did raise concerns about this previously. We know that the sector is struggling with the offer as it stands, so I'm clear that Wales has not yet reached the point where an expansion of eligibility can be implemented now. The obvious question for me, now, is: will you clarify by when you expect eligibility to be expanded, and how the sector is going to accommodate the increase in demand that this will inevitably cause? Thank you.