Diolch yn fawr iawn, Deputy Llywydd. Thank you for your statement this afternoon, Deputy Minister. I of course wish you a very happy St David's Day.

I'm sure there'll be no dissent to your stated aim of creating a Wales that is a wonderful place to grow up, live and, indeed, work. It's an aim that all of us share, but it's one that will need more than just warm words to deliver. Children and young people have been badly affected by the pandemic and Government actions to curb the spread of COVID-19, and we can't underline enough the impact this has had on their education, their emotional development, their mental well-being, as well as their future prospects.

It is our children's generation that will be saddled with the crippling debt that has been built up during the pandemic. They've also had to contend with the impact of climate change, which, according to the United Nation's inter-governmental panel on climate change, is way worse than we previously thought. Not only that, they will also be feeling the fall-out from Russia's despotic tendencies, whether it's from the impact of the justified sanctions or the continuing aggressions of the Russian leadership. It is therefore disappointing that the children and young people's plan doesn't really plan to support our younger generations to deal with the current and future challenges.

Deputy Minister, why is there nothing new in your plan? Do you believe it's sufficient to just restate existing policy? Why did the Welsh Government settle upon 2050 as its target date? Do you believe that's ambitious enough with regard to individual milestones? Do you feel they are sufficient to deliver a Wales that children and young people ideally want? Previous Governments wanted to eliminate NEETs, yet your plan now states that over the next three decades you will reduce them by 90 per cent. Why not commit to 100 per cent? Deputy Minister, why does this plan not contain any actions or commitments to tackle adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs? What will the plan do about access to CAMHS services? 

Deputy Minister, while I share your overall ambitions, I don't belive your plan is ambitious enough. If we truly want to create a Wales that is a wonderful place to grow up, live and work, then we need to do more than just what you have outlined in this so-called plan this afternoon.