Does the Minister accept that the fact that over 80 per cent of members of the RCN that participated in the vote on this proposal had voted to reject it shows the crisis of morale within the nursing profession at the moment? And of course, that isn't the only measure we have, really. We have the increase that’s been seen in the number of vacancies, we have an increase in sickness levels within the NHS workforce, we have an increasing number of people leaving professions, and the numbers applying for nursing courses dropping, and so on.

Is the Government willing to look, once again, at this eleventh hour, at using the powers that you have, at least for income tax, in the higher and additional bands, in order to offer a better settlement for our nurses? May I ask the Minister also: you mentioned the partnership forum, and a majority had voted in favour of the offer; can you tell us, apart from the RCN, which other unions within the NHS are still in a pay dispute with the Government at the moment? And, through the statement that you mentioned, are you now proposing to implement this pay rise for everyone, or only for those unions that have accepted the increase? Can you also give us an update on the elements other than salaries that you referred to in the written statement on 8 February? Has there been any progress made in terms of those elements of the package that you had discussed? May I ask finally, the UK Government, in looking to next year, has said to the pay review body that a 3.5 per cent pay increase next year would be affordable, and that anything above 5 per cent would be unaffordable. Do you as a Welsh Government agree with what the UK Government have told the pay review body, and, if you do not, then do you intend to provide additional evidence to what you’ve already provided to that body?