Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Could I begin by congratulating you on becoming the Presiding Officer for the sixth parliamentary term, and also David Rees on being the Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank the two other Members of the Senedd who made the vote happen, because I think it's important that democratic action sets the tone for how we want these proceedings to go on right the way through this sixth Assembly? Could I also thank everyone who allowed the election to happen or helped allow the election to happen? It was only two or three months ago that we were actually debating legislation that, with the COVID crisis, actually put in doubt whether we would have had an election, and a democracy does need to re-energise itself and become a reality. And it might seem a bit odd to say 'thank you', but it did happen, and it happened in a positive way that has returned an Assembly/Parliament here today with new Members, in my own group and across the Chamber, in particular, nearly a third of MSs are new Members to this institution, and that has to be a good thing.

I'd also like to congratulate Natasha Asghar, the first lady of colour to come into this Chamber, and I'm sure many will follow in her footsteps, just like her father as well. And we can be proud of the representation that's here, reaching out across the aisle, across all parties, to see the new blood that has come in along with the returning blood that generally has the best interests of Wales at heart.

We're an entrepreneurial and dynamic country, and we should never talk ourselves down, we should always talk ourselves up. And I believe that politicians of all colours can come together and work together, and I heard what the First Minister said about that consensus building. There will be differences between us, but there are areas where we will be able to work—the clean air Act, for example, the new national forest that you talk of in your manifesto, First Minister, also the national music service that you talk of, as well. On the legislation, the agricultural Act that you've talked of, as well, which is important for many rural communities. So, there are areas that we can work together on. There will be areas of confrontation, but we will be a constructive opposition, because it is vitally important, as we come out of COVID—and I use that word 'coming out of COVID', because we're very much still coming out of it, rather than looking back and forgetting about it.

There is a big job of work to do in education, in the economy and in the health service, in particular, which has been so battered, shall we say, over the last 12, 14 months, that many of the front-line workers have put heaven and earth to make sure that the health service has worked and met the challenge, and the staff on the front line desperately need the support of the Government, but politicians as well, so that we can make progress in eating into those waiting times and rejuvenating our education offer here in Wales, which, sadly, has been so disrupted and scarred over the last 12, 14 months, and continues to be, because, obviously, that education has been lost, and it is important that the Government come forward with their proposals in a timely manner—on the economy as well, because we know the challenges on the economy in particular with the furlough scheme coming to an end in the autumn, that all levers of Government are pulled to make sure that the Welsh economy pulls out of what has been a very brutal experience.

But we give our commitment as an opposition to work constructively where we can, but we will fulfil our duty as an opposition to hold the Government to account on its actions and seek to improve the legislation where we can. But there are two areas that I think desperately need mapping out by the First Minister, as he announces his Cabinet tomorrow. The First Minister has identified that he will only serve a limited term of office, two to two and a half years, and I think it's important that we as politicians, as well as the citizens of Wales, understand how that will affect the implementation of the manifesto and the work around the manifesto commitments. And secondly, with the announcement in Westminster of the COVID inquiry to start in the spring of next year, many people in Wales will want to understand what Wales's role will be in that inquiry, but importantly, about the development of an inquiry here in Wales. I look forward in the coming weeks to hearing that advice, that guidance that the Government are putting out there over the actions they will be taking on the economy, on education and health, and above all on making sure that Wales, at the end of this five-year term, collectively, by working together, is a better place than we started with, and we tap that entrepreneurial spirit, that dynamism that exists in all communities across Wales to unleash the potential that we know—this is the greatest part of the United Kingdom. Thank you, Presiding Officer.