Llywydd, I'd like to congratulate all Members on their election to this Senedd, and, in particular, Rhun on his appointment as the new First Minister. It is a very turbulent and divided world, so please let's all treat each other with the dignity and respect, during even the most challenging of debates, that the people who elected us deserve to see day in, day out.
We now have a new, larger Senedd. We have two new parties represented here and we have a different party at the helm. It goes without saying that I am deeply saddened at Welsh Labour's loss. We were represented by a determined team of immensely talented candidates and supported by brilliant volunteers and organisers.
Llywydd, no-one knows better than our party that it is a privilege to govern. That privilege and the immense responsibility that goes with it now rests on different shoulders. I'd like to pay my respects to those Members who have gone before us and the colleagues that have not been returned to this place, in particular to my predecessor in our party, Eluned Morgan, who worked so hard in the role, who showed so much dignity at a difficult time for her personally and for our party.
Now, make no mistake, work is what this place is about, and I'm proud of our achievements, including in recent times bringing down waiting lists in the NHS for nine consecutive months and funding so many new twenty-first century schools for our children; delivering an £800 million fleet of shiny new trains and unprecedented progress on metros north and south; and of course legislating to protect our environment, deal with coal tips and clean up the air we breathe. I hope to see the same kind of work rate and delivery from the party now in power, and I do look forward to my party being an effective opposition, scrutinising and holding Rhun and his colleagues to account where necessary to improve legislation. Now, I hope as a Minister I demonstrated to Plaid Members how collaboration and challenge both benefit the Government, and I hope the people of Wales will see that, in this term, Welsh Labour in opposition will remain focused laser like on serving their interests and improving their lives.
We may only be a group of nine now, but above all we are a fellowship, and, let's remember, in The Fellowship of the Ring it was just nine warriors who overcame enormous odds to bring down an empire, guided by their very own Gandalf, who will now guide us and protect our democracy with his shiny new mace. [Laughter.]
Be assured we will not let the party of Government off the hook at any time, as they, quite rightly, did not allow us to. Within our group we have a combination of immense experience and new energy and expertise, but above all we have passion and purpose, and to quote from a poet familiar to many: