Llywydd, delivering value for money is a constant priority for the Welsh Government. It was the case prior to the pandemic and our targeted response to the COVID-19 crisis has been driven by that same commitment. Our objectives as a Government are focused on bringing about a more prosperous, more equal and greener Wales. In order to achieve that aim, we're taking a long-term approach, underpinned by the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 because we know how short-termism can damage life chances, while building up preventable, wasteful costs to the public purse. When taking decisions, the Welsh Government follows governance requirements set out in 'Managing Welsh Public Money'. This ensures that value-for-money considerations are embedded in the preparation and scrutiny of all ministerial advice and in Welsh Government major projects and programme management.

Transparency and accountability also play an essential role in supporting the scrutiny that tests the responsible use of public money. I regard this as integral to our approach. Unlike the UK Government, we presented a first supplementary budget in May to provide a greater degree of transparency with the details on the budget adjustments made since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. And, of course, Members will recall the confusion created by the Chancellor's summer economic update, after which the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies called on the UK Treasury to follow our practice by publishing similar adjustments in order to provide greater transparency. Our intention is to be as transparent as we are able to be on the resources available to Wales as a result of the consequential adjustments to the Welsh block grant and on allocations from reserves. 

In response to the Finance Committee's report on the first supplementary budget, I have written to the committee providing further detail on consequential funding. I am committed to publishing a further supplementary budget in due course detailing further allocations, and we'll use oral and written statements to provide Members with updates on the in-year financial position as it develops. We've always taken seriously the responsible use of public money because of the powerful role we know it can play in transforming lives. I am proud that sound budget management has supported the delivery of decisions in Wales that set us apart, including free prescriptions, Jobs Growth Wales, the single cancer pathway, the childcare offer, the doubling of the capital limit that people can keep before paying for social care and the ongoing development of twenty-first century schools and colleges across Wales.

During this crisis, we have moved quickly to establish a fighting fund, held in a central reserve dedicated to our COVID response. As well as using new consequentials, the reserve has been boosted by repurposed budgets, as set out in the first supplementary budget. And thanks to this strategic approach, we have been in a position to confirm allocations, including close to £0.5 billion for local authorities, £800 million for the NHS stabilisation fund and over £800 million in grants for businesses. Allocations from the reserve are rigorously scrutinised through a process that was established early on in the pandemic. I consider COVID-19-related finance issues on a regular basis, including allocations from the reserve, with support from other Ministers and a range of officials. And since March, almost 100 of these meetings have taken place, which have supported our ability to speed up the decision-making process in recognition of the urgent pressures that we face.

I know that the Permanent Secretary also takes her personal responsibilities as the principal accounting officer very seriously. Together with the Permanent Secretary, I chair an efficiency board, which considers ways in which the Welsh Government can use its own resources to best effect. This process has radically redefined our relationship with sponsored bodies, securing a more effective, strategic approach and efficiency savings. We have also established a governance centre of excellence to ensure that all of the Welsh Government can access experienced and professional advice and challenge. Scrutiny by Audit Wales and the Public Accounts Committee is, of course, a welcome source of external challenge and review. The recommendations produced are monitored for implementation by the Welsh Government audit and risk assurance committees to ensure lessons are learned and actions are taken. Audit Wales is a standing member of this committee.

It's important to note that the proportion of Government activity represented by the cases raised during this debate—. And it's, of course, right that those are examined and those lessons are learned. And, as I've detailed, we have a process in place to ensure that happens. However, each year, we issue around 11,000 grant award letters to third parties from about 400 different grant schemes. Very few of those grant awards give rise to issues that call for scrutiny by the auditor general and a report to the Public Accounts Committee. 

So, it's right that we recognise those cases that have been referred to today, but they do represent the exception, rather than the rule. I just don't think it's credible to suggest that the reports, which rightly draw out challenging and critical feedback, support an overall conclusion that the Welsh Government is not using public money responsibly. Delivering value for money is ultimately reliant on sound budget management, something which is increasingly undermined by the UK Government's refusal to take seriously the concerns raised by devolved administrations. I've previously described to colleagues numerous examples of the UK Government's failure to adhere to the statement of funding policy, which has made the Welsh Government worse off—from eleventh hour capital reductions to pension funding shortfalls.

It's concerning that the UK Government still refuses to act within the fiscal framework to allow us greater access to, and control over, the Wales reserve in order to better plan for our response to the pandemic this year. Far from seeking new largesse from Whitehall, this request is simply about allowing the Welsh Government to make decisions about how to use the funding that we have set aside to manage during uncertain times. We'll continue to target our resources in a manner that promotes value for money for the people of Wales and we will continue to urge the UK Government to provide the fiscal flexibilities necessary to support that aim.