Diolch, Lywydd. Mae’n bleser i ddatgan cyhoeddiad ‘Symud Cymru Ymlaen’, sef ein rhaglen lywodraethu ar gyfer y pum mlynedd nesaf. Mae’n rhaglen sydd yn uchelgeisiol, yn strategol, a hefyd yn glir, ond hefyd mae’n un sy’n canolbwyntio ar weithredu a sicrhau gwelliannau real ym mywydau pobl Cymru. Mae’r ddogfen ei hunan yn glir, yn gryno, ac rwyf yn moyn sicrhau bod pawb yng Nghymru yn gallu pigo lan y ddogfen ei hunan a deall yn gwmws beth fydd y Llywodraeth yn ei wneud iddyn nhw dros dymor y Cynulliad hwn.

As a Government, we want a stronger, fairer economy, improved and reformed public services, and a united, connected, and sustainable Wales, and ‘Taking Wales Forward’ sets out how we will approach the task of delivering those aims. Members will see that while it focuses on the main pledges in the Welsh Labour manifesto, it also includes the key elements of the agreement with the Liberal Democrats, under which Kirsty Williams became Cabinet Secretary for Education, and also the priority areas agreed with Plaid Cymru before the summer recess. Members will also see that it is a very different document to the one we published five years ago. I have been clear since being appointed First Minister that this Government will work differently from others. We want to work creatively with all partners across Wales to find solutions to the challenges that we acknowledge face us.

The commitments set out in ‘Taking Wales Forward’ are our headline commitments. However, we know that these alone will not deliver our ambitions for our country. We also know that how we deliver things is just as important as what we deliver—that programmes viewed in isolation can have their impact reduced, or even create problems elsewhere. That’s why our agenda for this Government will not become fixed with the publication of ‘Taking Wales Forward’, and today marks a beginning of a phase where we will consider in greater detail how we can work together and change services to deliver our priorities.

The four areas set out today will form the basis for our well-being objectives. The development of four cross-cutting and intertwined strategies will allow us to consider how we can use the levers available to us to have the greatest impact. So, ‘Taking Wales Forward’ embodies our commitment to be an open and inclusive Government, taking a what-works approach in pursuit of our shared national goals, and working with the people best equipped to make a difference in Wales.

Of course, since the Assembly elections, we’ve had the UK’s vote to leave the European Union—the full implications of which are still far from clear, not least in terms of public finances. As a Government, we felt it was prudent and responsible to take the summer recess to look again at financial projections relating to our planned programmes. But, we won’t let these uncertainties dictate the terms of this Government. Today, I can confirm, Llywydd, we are pressing ahead with our commitments in full. These were the policies the people of Wales voted for, and these are the policies that we will deliver. Yes, there are difficult decisions ahead, and we will need to be innovative in our delivery, but we will stand by the pledges that we made.

Securing Wales’s national interests in the long and complex EU negotiations ahead will, of course, be a key priority for us, and I am confident that we have the right team in place to deliver the strong national leadership required. But be in no doubt, this is also a Government that is already delivering, and will continue to deliver our domestic agenda too—the bread-and-butter issues that matter most to people in their lives every day.

Llywydd, we want a Wales that is prosperous and secure. So, we will deliver a tax cut for 70,000 businesses, create a Wales development bank, implement the most generous childcare offer of anywhere in the UK, create a minimum of 100,000 high-quality, all-age apprenticeships, and deliver an extra 20,000 affordable homes, some through our continuing and successful Help to Buy scheme.

We want a Wales that is healthy and active. So, we will recruit and train more GPs, nurses and health professionals, double the capital people can keep when entering residential care, introduce a new treatment fund to give people fast access to innovative drugs, invest to reduce waiting times, and make sure schools are giving children an active start in life.

We want a Wales that is ambitious and learning. So, we will invest an additional £100 million to drive up school standards, introduce a new curriculum to give us the skills we need, promote teaching excellence, extend the pupil deprivation grant, and ensure a generous and comprehensive system to support Welsh students.

Llywydd, we want a Wales that is united and connected. So, we will deliver an M4 relief road, improvements to the A55, the A40, and other key routes, a metro system in both the south and the north of our country, and fast, reliable broadband for every property in Wales. We will work towards 1 million Welsh speakers by 2050 and push ahead with the local government reform that works with councils to deliver the best services for everyone, no matter where they live in Wales.

Llywydd, these are just a few of our key priorities in ‘Taking Wales Forward’, and of course our priorities are to improve the well-being of everyone. In that spirit, all of these will be shaped and developed according to the guiding principles of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, considering how each of our actions can have the maximum impact across the range of things that matter most to the people of Wales.

Prosperous and secure, healthy and active, ambitious and learning, united and connected—these are the areas where we can have the greatest impact, and can contribute to all of the national goals. This is not just an agenda for us as a Government, but for the whole public sector to get behind and deliver.

Llywydd, this programme for government gives us what we need to tackle the major challenges that lie ahead, and to make the tangible difference to people’s lives that they want to see. It enables us to approach the next five years with confidence, energy and clarity. We’ve set the ambition, and we have set out what we will do to achieve it, and now we will get on and deliver.