Diolch, Llywydd. Last Friday, the First Minister set out the framework that will lead Wales out of the coronavirus pandemic. The document we published sets out how and when decisions on the easing of the lockdown will be made in our economy, in our communities and in our public services over the coming weeks and months. And as Ministers, we are supporting that work. My task is to ensure that, when the time is right, our businesses, our transport network and our skills system are ready not only to adapt and transition to the post-coronavirus world but, crucially, that we are ready and able to build back better for the sake of this and for future generations.

A key plank of this work is ensuring we don't pull away too soon the critical economic underpinning of the lockdown—the support the UK Government has introduced through the job retention scheme. The job retention scheme has been essential to enabling large parts of the economy to hibernate throughout this crisis. None of the devolved Governments acting on their own had the fiscal firepower to secure incomes and livelihoods in the way that the job retention scheme has been. And so it's essential that the job retention scheme is not withdrawn or scaled back before businesses have been able to properly restart their operations.

This was the message that the finance Minister and I sent to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in a joint letter last week, and I welcome the subsequent steps he then took to extend the scheme until October. While it provides an important window for us all to think about the future, I urge the UK Government to involve us in those discussions meaningfully.

We are all acutely aware that some sectors have been hit harder than others—that, for some, lockdown started sooner and will end much later. As we approach the summer season, we are all aware of the impact coronavirus is having on the tourism and hospitality sector.  One of the more recent concerns that has been raised with me is the issue of prompt payments to small businesses. I urge all large organisations, both in the public and in the private sector, to play their part in supporting those smaller businesses by making payments on time.