Thank you. I'm really grateful to have had the opportunity to listen to the debate today and to respond to it, and I thank all Members for their contributions. I really do welcome the work that the committee is doing in this area, and really value the input that the stakeholders who took part in the event in Aberystwyth in June have made. I really look forward to the committee's final report following the closure of their consultation.

In preparation for the budget, I also wanted to listen to the views of stakeholders about how Government funding is being invested across Wales, and the impact that it's having on people and their communities. So, over the summer, I visited a series of settings across Wales that reflect our eight cross-cutting priority areas of early years, social care, housing, skills and employability, better mental health, decarbonisation, poverty and biodiversity. These eight areas are at the heart of this Government's ambitions for a more equal Wales, a more prosperous Wales and a greener Wales. I wanted to understand the day-to-day challenges faced in these areas and to learn more about the difference that can be made by focusing on them. And it was also a great chance to explore the opportunities that exist for us to do more in these areas.

In north Wales, I saw first hand a community taking control of its own energy consumption through the Ynni Ogwen hydropower project in Bethesda. I also visited the I CAN mental health urgent care centre at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor. The visit highlighted a preventative model where people experiencing low-level social and mental health difficulties are offered emotional support outside of the usual working hours. In mid Wales, I visited RSPB Lake Vyrnwy, which demonstrates how significant areas of the Welsh landscape can not only deliver positive biodiversity outcomes but also support sustainable farming enterprises. In Aberystwyth, I met with board members and staff of Tai Ceredigion, along with prospective residents of an exciting new affordable housing development at Maes Arthur. And in Penarth, I visited the holiday hunger play scheme at Ysgol y Deri that provides support to ensure healthy eating continues throughout the school holidays for some of our most deprived families.

These visits showcased the passion, talent and commitment of those who will drive the outcomes of our cross-cutting priorities. They represent real examples of how, despite austerity, we've continued to prioritise our limited investment in the face of challenging budgets and have worked with partners to deliver our priorities. And these priorities stand on the strength of a budget approach that protects and promotes what matters most. They are boosted by our commitment to prioritise health and social services and a genuine partnership with local government. And that stands in stark contrast to the experience in England, where cuts to councils have been twice as deep as in Wales, doing untold damage to local communities.

From early years to housing, our focus is enhanced by the building blocks that this Government has put in place by putting its money where its values are: a childcare offer with 48 weeks of provision that's delivering across Wales ahead of time, and the drive for 20,000 affordable homes this term—again, on course, ahead of time. I'm determined to maximise the impact that we can have on these priorities for Wales within our forthcoming budget, and I want to thank colleagues from across the Cabinet for the work that they have been doing to support this collective approach to the budget in recent months. Looking to the future, as a Government, we've been very clear that health will continue to be at the heart of our budget considerations, along with providing local government with the best possible settlement.

Before turning to some of the key messages that stakeholders have raised with me over the summer and I think have been echoed in the Chamber today, it's really worth setting the debate in the wider context. As we've heard from the Chair of the Finance Committee, the UK Government published its one-year fast track spending round on 4 September, and behind the headlines, this spending round doesn't turn the page on austerity, as the Chancellor claimed, as our budget in 2020-21 will still be 2 per cent lower, or £30 million less in real terms, than in 2010-11, and we will face some tough choices over the coming weeks. And we'll also continue to face—[Interruption.]