I’d like to start with the membership of the social partnership council. It is a key consideration. We must ensure that this influential body will fully reflect all aspects of Welsh society. For this to happen there must be flexibility in the mechanism of the membership so that expertise and experience can be drawn from as wide a field as possible. If we are to deliver the more ambitious agenda and robust decision making that the Bill promises, this needs consideration. I note that recommendation 7 is accepted in principle, and 8 is accepted, and look forward to the work being carried out as promised.

We must also strive for provision within the Bill to ensure that supply chains are globally responsible. I know this is a concern not just for Plaid Cymru, but a coalition of bodies within Welsh civic life have come together to express their concerns that actions to advance a globally responsible Wales through ethical procurement are absent. This coalition, which includes Cytûn, Size of Wales and Amnesty International want this commitment to be more explicit, and therefore on the face of the Bill, and I hope that all consideration will be given to this and addressed. To match our warm words with warm deeds, this matters. 

Now, I'd like to turn to the local procurement element of this Bill. I know public procurement may seem like a very dry topic, but this has the potential, if we get it right, to supercharge the economy. We cannot let this opportunity pass. Local procurement, or the money we retain within our borders for goods and services bought by the public sector, has been a hot topic for my party over the last decade. It was back in 2013 that the then leader of Plaid Cymru, Leanne Wood, called for the Labour Government to match the Scottish levels of public procurement to create an additional 48,000 jobs for Wales. To achieve this jobs boost, it would have required Wales going from a public procurement rate of 50 per cent to 75 per cent. Imagine if we were able to surpass that figure and match the German rate of public procurement, which at the time was 98.9 per cent.

If those bold steps had been taken back then, imagine the impact this would have had on job creation, local economies and prosperity—it would have been seismic. Since then, the Plaid Cymru-run Gwynedd Council have shown what is possible with a can-do attitude when it comes to shopping local. Their strategy of keeping the benefit local led to a significant boost in local spend for goods and services. Public procurement is finally at the forefront of this Government's agenda, thanks to Plaid Cymru and the co-operation agreement. This was included specifically in terms of the free school meal policy, but this Bill gives us the opportunity to widen the remit of public procurement and keep the Welsh pound circulating within our economy. Anyone with an interest in supporting local jobs, local producers, local farmers and local communities should get behind this Bill, and ensure that it is as broad, robust and beneficial as possible. 

My three questions to the Minister are therefore: how will the social partnership council ensure that the voices of small organisations are heard, and what mechanisms are being considered? How will the Bill ensure that the Government delivers a globally responsible approach, and will terms and a target be included on the face of the Bill? And I have heard what the Minister has said about recommendations 15 to 19. Can a procurement target of 75 per cent, which has long been a Plaid Cymru policy, be set to concentrate the mind and ensure this Bill is ambitious when it comes to public procurement? Diolch yn fawr.