Systemic and systematic racism in Wales have long been rife. Inequalities have been shown up even more during COVID, through its disproportionate effects on black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. I'm still staggered that we still have yet to have a woman from a black, Asian or minority ethnic community representing people here in this Senedd, so we do have an awful long way to go.

The report from the Welsh Government's advisory group emphasising these issues should have been a final wake-up call for the Welsh Government to take urgent and immediate action to tackle the long-standing inequalities that exist in this country. Plaid Cymru called last summer for a full and thorough investigation into systemic racism in Wales, with concrete recommendations to be honoured. We led various debates here in the Senedd and outside, with various networks of people calling for change—for the mandatory inclusion of the history of black people and people of colour in the new curriculum, to inform pupils and set a precedent for a modern, forward-thinking country, free of prejudice, to enable the challenging of racist rhetoric. And we have led the debates against the toxic rhetoric on this front from the vocal far right. There is still so much work to be done on this front. You all know that Plaid Cymru wants Wales to have its own justice system so that we have the tools here to properly tackle all the different forms of inequalities that exist within the criminal justice system, including the disproportionate imprisonment rates of people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

So, my questions to you are: do you agree with me that more could be done if we had the criminal justice system fully devolved? Do you agree that more needs to be done in terms of giving teaching staff not just the resources but also the confidence to tackle and challenge racist attitudes when they arise in school? Do you accept that you haven't acted fast enough in tackling these inequalities that I've referred to? And while I commend an approach that commits to an anti-racist Wales, do you accept that challenging political rhetoric and embedding basic respect for difference at all levels within our society and communities is essential if this is going to be achieved?