Oral Statement by Vaughan Gething: Delivering Wales' priorities

Rt Hon Vaughan Gething MS, First Minister of Wales, today made an Oral Statement to the Senedd entitled 'Delivering Wales' priorities.'

It is a great pleasure to be able to set out today the priorities for this Welsh Government and our commitment to work with the people of Wales to create a future that works for the people of Wales.

It is a great pleasure to be able to set out today the priorities for this Welsh Government and our commitment to work with the people of Wales to create a future that works for the people of Wales.161

In my first three weeks as First Minister, I have met with the British Medical Association to discuss NHS strikes, with farming unions to listen to their concerns, and with steelworkers to discuss how we press the case for the best deal for steel, not the cheapest deal. I'd like to thank everyone involved in those productive and constructive discussions, where I, alongside our new Cabinet Secretaries, have had an opportunity to engage on difficult issues that require partnership working and compromises to find a solution for the future.162

These early engagements were a priority, and they serve, I hope, as a signal of the investment that Ministers across the Welsh Government will put into the serious business of dialogue, negotiation and partnership working. I am proud to have brought together a team with the vision, values and experience needed to serve Wales.163

We know that it has never been more important to ensure that all of our resources across Government are focused on what matters most to people's daily lives. After over a decade of austerity, we must focus on a set of core priorities if we are to deliver the positive, progressive change that we want to see. As we drew together and debated the Welsh Government budget, we all engaged with the gravity of the financial situation that we face. The £1.3 billion drop in the value of our budget is worth four times the economy budget of this Government. As growing numbers of major local authorities in England issue notices effectively announcing that they are unable to form a budget, we have avoided that crisis, using our values to steer a progressive course through stark challenges. That involves decisions that none of us came into politics hoping to make, and fine judgments that no Minister ever takes lightly. 164

Having a relentless focus on the most important issues will demonstrate what we, as a Government, stand for and what we are determined to deliver. It will also drive a sharper focus within the Government, at a time when families and businesses are living with such uncertainty and the continuing cost-of-living crisis. It cannot, however, mean offering impossible commitments without complete answers on how they are to be funded and delivered. Such commitments actively threaten the services that those most in need of support rely upon.165

It's clear that the NHS, and reducing waiting times, is a top priority for the people of Wales, and the same is true for us as a Government. The suspension of strike action, announced following our meeting with the BMA, is an important first step in that work, and I am pleased that formal discussions can now take place. Patient care will be at the forefront of everything that we do. This means that we will prioritise funding for our NHS and social care in our budgets, tackling waiting lists, and investing in technology and innovation.166

Over the last 14 years, we have seen how the endless cycle of austerity and low growth in the economy have held down living standards and held back Wales's economic potential, as well as that of the UK as a whole. It has driven people into poverty, caused living costs to skyrocket, and piled pressure on the public services that we all rely upon. That means that this Welsh Government must work twice as hard to support people that need our help and support the most.167

That's why the fight to lift children out of poverty will be at the heart of this Welsh Government's mission. No childhood should begin blighted by poverty. We will do everything we can in making sure that children can grow up feeling happy and hopeful for their future. To do this, we will renew our focus on supporting the first 1,000 days of a child's life. Those very earliest days lay the foundation for a child's life, and for their family as a whole. We will improve support for children and look to empower parents and families during this vital period. That will require a long-term and co-ordinated response across Government, across public services and, indeed, across Wales.168

We will do everything in our power to help achieve excellence in our schools, with a sustained improvement in educational attainment being the top priority. We know that a good education is key to building ambitious futures and healthier lives. How well a child does at school plays a significant role in their life chances. So, we will continue to roll out the Curriculum for Wales, with a renewed focus on literacy and numeracy. It is essential that children are in school with their friends, learning, if they are to reach their full potential, so we will prioritise improving attendance and attainment, recognising the investment in equality that this also represents. And we will work so that the next generation, and everyone in society, can feel a new prosperity through a strong and greener economy, in a transition that Wales is perfectly placed to exploit.169

We will prioritise building a greener economy where people find good, secure employment. It is good for the planet, good for business and good for the secure economic futures that people across Wales expect and deserve. We'll have new clean growth hubs to deliver better paid jobs, green business loans to help businesses decarbonise and lower energy bills and training for net-zero skills, planning reforms and ambitious investment to unlock green growth. Wales led the way in a previous industrial revolution. Now, as other nations race to compete for the jobs of the future, I want Wales to be at the very forefront of that race. Together, we must grasp this opportunity so that Wales can lead again.170

And lastly, we will improve the transport networks that make and shape the places that we live in, helping to tackle the climate emergency and restoring a sense of belonging, connection and community. This Government will radically shake up the way the public transport system works in Wales, including legislating for a new bus Bill. It means moving from a privatised system that puts profit before people to a system that brings buses and trains together around the needs of people.171

Reducing NHS waiting lists, support for children in early years, educational excellence in our schools, better, greener jobs, improved transport links across the country—these are Wales's priorities, and these are our priorities. This goes to the heart of what devolution is all about and why we must always protect it: Welsh solutions to Welsh problems and opportunities. We will go on making the compelling argument for genuine partnership with the UK Government and for further powers and increased funding that Wales needs to support the outcomes that Wales deserves. This is what will guide us going forward into the next chapter of devolution in Wales.172

We are now beginning a new journey, a new chapter in the history of devolution.

I've established a new Cabinet Office role within the ministerial team, and the Cabinet is already working on how we can turn our action and our priorities into the strongest possible outcomes for communities and businesses that face such a challenging backdrop. But, Llywydd, we must confront the reality that too much of our politics and our public life is overshadowed by those who seek to divide us, to push us against our better instincts. Wales is not immune to this challenge, but we can choose a more positive path.174

Last week, I had the honour of attending and presenting the St David Awards. Amongst the many inspirational winners, I met Callum Smith, a teenager from Porth in the Rhondda, who saved a young man about to take his life. That day, Callum was brave enough to offer the hand of friendship to a stranger in desperation. Callum, like so many winners, showed genuine courage and demonstrated once more that it is a sign of true strength to do the right thing, to serve and to help others. Those who choose to trade in cynical populism lack the strength to do so and only serve themselves. Worse still, theirs is a politics that invites us to turn our energy into obsessive arguments about where we differ at the expense of all those things that draw us together.175

But the St David Awards winners remind us of the innate goodness to be found in the acts of people across Wales—all of the small things that we can do together for each other. I hope that it can remind all of us that we really do have more in common than that which divides us.

I hope we can draw upon the strength and optimism represented in the acts of those award winners and work together on these priorities to build an ambitious future for a fairer Wales. Diolch, Llywydd.

To read the full exchange, CLICK HERE