Thank you, acting Deputy Presiding Officer, and can I also thank Jack Sargeant for tabling this really important motion, which I'm very happy to support? I'd like to start by setting some context for my contribution, hopefully without repeating what others have said, and then to explain why I believe this is an idea whose time is coming, and why it would benefit communities like those I represent in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney.

So, first some context. In April 2018 I published a discussion piece for the Welsh Fabians about Wales being what I described as a well-being state, and in that piece I explored the suggestion that our traditional welfare state safety net could usefully evolve into a more holistic well-being state. The idea had emerged from a piece originally authorised by our now Counsel General, Jeremy Miles, who said, and I quote,

'Bevan was an architect of the welfare state. Tomorrow's task will be a Wellbeing State.'

But I needed to ask myself what exactly a Welsh well-being state would look like, and for me, at the core of such an approach must be to incorporate well-being in all our policies, much like we equality-proof policies and should, in my view, also poverty-proof policies. So, we should well-being-proof policies. And then I set out a range of ideas that might help build a well-being state, and that included a minimum income guarantee for a Welsh citizen equivalent to a real living wage, providing an uplift in circumstances for many within an associated cost-efficiency saving, and a top-up of welfare state payments with personal well-being payments, to be paid in short periods to offset stress and debilitating conditions such as mental health crises. It follows, therefore, that underpinning a well-being state should be a move from being a welfare recipient to being a well-being participant. This would acknowledge an obligation to be an active citizen in the community in which we share a common responsibility to enhance well-being.

So, what's the practical benefit of this idea for communities like Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney? Well, it could challenge and change some of the dreadful circumstances that have bedevilled some of our most deprived communities and that have been magnified during this current COVID crisis. As others have already mentioned, the likes of uncertain employment with zero-hours contracts, exploitative conditions and working practices and low wages and benefit dependency are scourges on too many of my constituents, and they deserve better. A universal basic income is a solution, and it's a sensible solution now, given what has happened as a result of this dreadful pandemic.

In crises, opportunities arise, and I believe that what was set out in 2018 and what is being developed in this current debate is a sensible and rational response to our current circumstances. I hope that our Welsh Government will be bold and responsive, and take on board the calls in this motion, because it's no longer good enough to keep doing what we do and expecting things to change. My constituents have waited too long for that, and we have to look at a different approach. Universal basic income could be a building block of post-COVID recovery, and it's something we should embrace. Thank you.