I contribute to this debate in my role as my party's spokesperson on the environment. And, as some people have already suggested, there is a feeling of business as usual to this budget. And that is disappointing, particularly given the declaration of a climate emergency. As you've already heard, we would expect transformation in the way that the Government is using its budget to address that emergency. But let's be honest, if you were to look at this budget, and compare it to last year's budget, do you see any fundamental difference, any real difference? Is there anything in this draft budget that gives a clear signal that there has been a fundamental shift towards tackling the climate emergency in terms of the Government's priorities? And if you can't identify that fundamental difference, then it does bring to question the credibility of that declaration of a climate emergency, and, indeed, how serious this Government is in tackling the greatest challenge facing humanity today.

Now, of course, there are some items of individual expenditure that are to be welcomed, and I wouldn't fail to welcome any additional funding, but it's not to the extent that we would have hoped for. This £140 million of capital funding for decarbonisation has been referred to—it's not the only item, there are others. One hundred and forty million pounds is to be welcomed of course, but let's remind ourselves that this Government spent £100 million on preparations for the M4 relief road that will never happen. That puts that figure in its context, in my view.

Now, the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales presented a 10-point plan last year to highlight where we needed to prioritise expenditure. And she talked about transport, housing, land use, and renewable energy. We have a hydro sector that is still waiting to hear from Government if there is going to be rate relief continuing for the next financial year, although, of course, they have made it clear that that would mean, without that change, many of those hydro businesses would be unsustainable. Now, the standards commissioner, sorry, the Future Generations Commissioner—there are too many commissioners, I fear— has outlined £5 billion over 15 years for retrofitting. That's a huge sum, but over 15 years it's a lot more affordable. But that isn't one-way expenditure, because it is spend to save, it creates growth. We can see how, according to the commissioner, Welsh GVA would increase by £2.2. billion by making that investment. It would save £350 per year for the ordinary family’s bills. It would also save more than £70 million a year for our health service in Wales, because it would help us in tackling some of the health problems facing people in Wales. So, we are talking here about the economic, the environmental and the social, and that’s the holy grail in terms of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. But four years after passing that legislation, we are still waiting to see that shift happening in the way that the Welsh Government draws up and prioritises its budget.

And as a Member representing north Wales, I saw in the narrative of the budget that there is a reference to £200 million capital for the south Wales metro and the north Wales metro. But I see that £20 million of that—just 10 per cent of that—will come to north Wales. Now, I assume the Government—certainly after the general election—will be aware that there is an expectation among constituents in north Wales that they should see the investment and the job creation that they deserve, not necessarily the investment that they've seen in the past. I would call on the Government to scrutinise its budget carefully in that context, in order to ensure equity in terms of investment across Wales.