Thank you very much, temporary Deputy Presiding Officer, and as Chair of the Finance Committee, I'm very pleased to be opening this debate today on the future spending priorities for the Welsh Government. The Finance Committee has expressed its concern that the Assembly does not have a formal opportunity to debate and, through that, to potentially influence the Welsh Government’s spending priorities prior to the draft budget being tabled.

During our scrutiny of the draft budget on 27 June, the committee agreed that Assembly Members should have the opportunity to debate future spending priorities at an earlier stage in the budget process. Indeed, our inquiry into the legislative budget process shows how other parliaments give much earlier opportunities to backbench Members to influence Government spending priorities in the early, formative period, long before the draft budget is tabled.