Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, and now for something completely different. [Laughter.]

A year ago, we published a new digital strategy for Wales, a strategy that sets out how we want to use digital and data in a better way to improve people’s lives and help businesses and communities thrive, and we've just been discussing the use of digital and data in the mapping of flooding and the monitoring of coal tips as a practical example of how this can improve public service delivery.

I just want today to highlight some of the progress we've made since last year's publication of the strategy. They key point that's worth repeating is that digital is not about kit; it’s about culture. It enables us to look at old problems in new ways, and use openness, the key digital principles of iteration, collaboration and, critically, user-centred design. And a year on, the strategy has created an excitement around what we are doing in Wales and how our approach can make a difference to public services.

We have established a digital leadership ecosystem, which may sound a bit dull and nerdy but is actually critical, and it was a key missing gap as the Public Accounts Committee and others looked at in a number of examples, and we've put that right. So, we now have a new centre for digital public services and chief digital officers for local government, Welsh Government and a soon-to-be-appointed health service CDO. Our aim now is that this matures and widens across the public sector.

The digital centre is already empowering public sector organisations to adopt a digital approach. This includes supporting Sport Wales to widen the reach of their grants, developing a text messaging service when accessing adult social care in Neath Port Talbot, and exploring a new hazardous waste service with Natural Resources Wales, all using this approach of iteration and user-centred design. The centre's also gathering insights into how people access primary care as part of NHS Wales's digital services for patients and the public programme.

Dirprwy Lywydd, effective cyber security and resilience will be key to successfully delivering these services. The centre is leading also a public services landscape review—a good, hard look at the digital and technological maturity of public services in Wales. This will be really important—crucial—to help us prioritise work over the next few years.

My focus now is on cementing digital in the way that we work. I don't think we've yet invented digital cement, though, it's worth reinforcing. We have—again, learning from the PAC committee reports—a set of digital service standards that allow anyone to develop a set of services in an iterative, agile and user-centred way—again, the key digital principles. And I want these to be adopted, placing an uncompromising focus on user needs to support better outcomes for all, and also, crucially, a chance to refocus public services on their users. That's ultimately what this is all about.

In realising our ambitions, we need to recognise barriers. Wales faces the global challenge of skills capacity, and public sector bodies are searching for talent in a massively competitive labour market. Apprenticeships can help, as well as upskilling and nurturing the talent that we already have in digital, data and technology roles.

For those people who do not have digital skills and confidence, we are exploring a national minimum digital living standard. It will be developed through engagement with digitally included and excluded people across Wales, so that we can identify what people really need to be part of the modern digital world.

Growing a digital culture includes recognising the importance of data and partnership working. We've just been discussing, Dirprwy Lywydd, the recent storms, where we saw Data Map Wales used as a public sector geospatial platform to identify where vulnerable people lived, where to target our support, and how quick and effective decision making can save lives. That's digital advancement and innovation in action in the way that we run public services in Wales.

We are also investing in a Wales data nation accelerator project. This was inspired by a recommendation in the Brown review into digital innovation, and is a partnership between Welsh universities, delivering a number of exciting projects with industry, for example, using artificial intelligence to optimise land management and reduce flood risk.

Digital connectivity underpins the digital strategy. In the spirit of openness, Dirprwy Lywydd, I want to update you on broadband provision in Wales. As Members know, while telecommunications is not devolved to Wales, the Welsh Government has continued to step in where the market and the UK Government have failed to deliver fast and reliable broadband.

We have provided future-proofed gigabit broadband to nearly 26,000 premises through our own full-fibre roll-out with Openreach. We have also provided extra funding to top up the UK Government gigabit broadband voucher scheme. This has doubled the amount available to homes and businesses where the UK funding has failed to reflect the true cost of deploying in the Welsh landscape. The Welsh Government top-up has supported over 1,300 homes and businesses to get connected.

However, in the face of continued budget pressures, we cannot continue to underwrite the UK Government who have the responsibility for this area. Therefore, the top-up will cease on 31 March 2022. The volume of funds provided under the top-up across the UK suggests that the upper cost threshold of the scheme should be reviewed by the UK Government to reflect the cost of deploying gigabit broadband in rural and remote areas. I have written to, and have met with, the Minister of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to emphasise this point.

The scheme was shortly due to be paused in Wales as procurements for Project Gigabit began, but applications for vouchers received before the cessation date that meet the scheme’s criteria will still be eligible for top-up funding. On Project Gigabit, we are pressing the UK Government to ensure that Wales gets its share of the £5 billion of investment for the needs of homes and businesses in Wales. Discussions are ongoing about how it will be delivered and the role of the Welsh Government.

The digital infrastructure landscape has changed since Brexit. We no longer have access to EU funding and, because it is non-devolved, we now rely solely on UK Government funding to improve broadband in Wales. We remain committed to working with Whitehall to secure the best outcomes for Wales and to make a strong case for continued investment to reach the hardest to reach communities, to make sure that they are not left behind. I'm pleased to say that we do have good relationships with both officials and Ministers, but we do need a change of heart regarding the failures of the market and the role of Government.

We have, in conclusion, Dirprwy Lywydd, made a good start on delivering the digital strategy for Wales, but clearly we have a long way to go. In order to maintain momentum, I will publish shortly a new iteration of the digital delivery plan to detail the next steps on our journey towards Wales becoming truly digital. Diolch.