Deputy Minister, you had a real chance here to get Wales moving again by giving communities across Wales infrastructure they not only need, but really deserve. Residents in all four corners of Wales have been on tenterhooks for nearly two years while this backwards road building ban has been in place. But the wait is finally over, just under 60 schemes went under the microscope as part of your review, and now we find out just a handful have been spared the axe and will be going ahead as planned. Deputy Minister, given people in those areas have been waiting for action for so long, when exactly do you expect the diggers to hit the ground?

Whilst news of some of the projects being waved through will be very much welcomed by commuters, visitors and residents in those areas, the misery, mayhem and uncertainty for everyone else in limbo is still unfortunately going to carry on. Deputy Minister, what will you say to all those people who are going to carry on suffering as a direct result of your decision? What do you say, Deputy Minister, to all those businesses that are struggling to operate and will now continue to struggle because of this decision?

I know that you get great pleasure from blaming the UK Government for all of your shortcomings. However, I feel like I should remind you that your Government did return £155 million back to Westminster because you simply didn't spend it in Wales for the people of Wales. And I don't need to remind you that many areas of transport that we talk about are, in fact, devolved. To you, Deputy Minister, roads might be these awful stretches of concrete, but to us, businesses, commuters and residents, they are a necessity. We need adequate roads to run a top-quality public transport network, to help businesses thrive, and to get the economy firing on all cylinders—just some of the few reasons why I speak so passionately about this. 

I understand that some projects might eventually be given the green light if some tweaks and amendments are made and they pass your rings-of-fire tests that are now in place. So, given that £24 million had already been spent on road projects in research and development before this freeze took place, who is now going to foot the bill for the redesign work? The director of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association has contacted us saying that he wants some urgent clarity on the matter of what's going to be happening moving forward.

I also have some concerns about two councillors, Labour's Anthony Hunt and Plaid's Llinos Medi, tasked with reviewing projects that are economic development sites going forward. Couldn't a panel of independent people have been assembled to explore this, instead of two politically aligned councillors?

One of the review's recommendations was to provide better parking facilities and rest areas for heavy goods vehicle drivers, something I welcome and have been long calling for, alongside the Road Haulage Association, to achieve. Can I have a firm confirmation from you, Deputy Minister, that this will indeed happen, and when exactly you expect these improvements to be made? When you announced a road building freeze, Deputy Minister, and I quote you now, you said,

'we need a shift away from spending money on projects that encourage more people to drive, and invest in real alternatives that give people a meaningful choice.'

Now, if that is the case, Deputy Minister, why has your Government slashed spending within active travel for 2023-24 from the mooted £223 million to £184 million? What exactly are these so-called 'real alternatives' that you are supposedly investing in, Deputy Minister? You claim that you want to stop spending money on things that encourage people to drive. Fair enough. So, I'm curious to know, Deputy Minister, why your Government has not spent a single penny on advertising active travel since 2018. Strangely, your Government also did not spend anything on advertising public transport during 2021-22.

And, now, let's turn to the transport plan. You said that it would prioritise climate change, social justice and equality. Correct? Yet, having read the full version of 162 pages and the short version of 16 pages, it did not acknowledge anywhere transport poverty or make any note of how your work with transport operators to reduce fares is going forward. So, what are you and your colleagues doing to ease the financial burden on those actually using public transport, Deputy Minister? Across the border in England, the Conservative UK Government has introduced a £2 cap on bus fares. Deputy Minister, why haven't we got a similar scheme here in Wales for our commuters? And will you seriously look into this, because I have no doubt that it will encourage more people to use buses?

Another one of the plan's aims is that by 2025 all users of electric cars and vans in Wales are confident that they can access electric vehicle charging infrastructure when and where they need it. How is this going to work, Deputy Minister, Because it looks to me that you're royally failing with just 39 public charging devices per 100,000 of the population in Wales? It's just not sufficient. With Wales having the lowest level of rapid or quicker charging devices, are you confident that you're going to hit this target?

One of the plan's priorities is to get more people working from home. I must admit that did make me laugh, because to me it felt like you are basically saying that the transport network in Wales is so poor that you'd rather keep people at home, instead of providing real solutions. Deputy Minister, it's clear to me that all of this today, mixed with the blanket 20 mph speed limit roll-out and the rumoured congestion charge going forward, only further highlight Labour's anti-car, anti-growth, anti-job agenda. For me, it's seems like Labour's transport strategy is in complete chaos.

Deputy Minister, you've previously admitted that your Government doesn't know what it's doing when it comes to the economy. It's now time for you to hold up your hands and, in front of us all, admit that you clearly don't know what you're doing when it comes to transport as well.