I welcome the opportunity to contribute to today's debate as a member of the Finance Committee, and I support the comments made by our Chair of the committee, and also welcome our Members of the Youth Parliament here today. Over the past few years we have experienced a series of huge challenges, from the pandemic to the current inflationary pressures and, of course, cost-of-living crisis. It's more important than ever, therefore, that we listen to the views of the people of Wales and that Welsh Government makes the people's priorities their priorities.

It was clear from discussions that tackling the cost-of-living crisis and supporting families through these difficult times is a major issue that the budget must address with urgency. A number of stakeholders welcomed the existing Welsh Government schemes to help with the cost-of-living crisis, but they felt that this support was not reaching certain sectors, particularly unpaid carers. There was also an acknowledgement that there is a need to expand discretionary funds, particularly so that people who earn more than the various benefits thresholds but find themselves in a financially vulnerable position can access much-needed support.

In relation to the cost of living and inflationary pressures, a wide range of concerns were raised about the future sustainability of public services. For example, a stakeholder commented that there, and I quote, are

'likely to be unpalatable choices ahead' for the Welsh Government and service providers. There are real concerns that a squeeze in budgets will impact on service provision, and that the continuing impacts of the pandemic coupled with staff shortages will place more strain on already stretched services.

Local authorities are also facing a myriad of pressures and funding needs that quite simply must be addressed if we are to begin to tackle the issues facing us. So, as part of the budget there is a real need for an ambitious, fully costed plan to recruit more staff in things like schools, social care and the Welsh NHS to increase the resilience of services and to address the structural issues. There also must be a longer term funding strategy for our key public services. 

A final issue that I'd like to raise, Deputy Llywydd, is that of education, as we heard from some Members of the Welsh Youth Parliament about their concerns about catching up with lost education as a consequence of the disruption over recent years, whilst other stakeholders noted that the cost of school transport has increased exponentially. Thus it's important that that Government continues to invest in education, particularly to support the successful roll-out of the new curriculum. Furthermore, there have been calls for the Government to further harness the potential of increased research and innovation to strengthen the Welsh economy and to boost skills. In light of this, will the Minister commit to supporting the FE and HE sectors as much as possible and invest in their skills base?

To conclude, acting Llywydd, I in no way underestimate the scale of the challenge facing Ministers. The events of the past few years have taken their toll on our communities and they need our support. And, of course, the Government does not operate on its own. We must see, as we did during the pandemic, support from the UK Government that matches the scale of the issues facing us. But it’s vital that the Welsh Government gets its upcoming budget right and listens to the views of communities when it’s deciding its spending priorities. Thank you.