I would like to thank the Welsh Government for tabling this important debate today. With one in eight people in Wales currently seeking medical help for mental illness and an estimated one in four of us experiencing mental health problems at some point during our lifetimes, it’s clear that we need to give mental health a far higher priority. We therefore welcome the fact that we are today debating the Government’s mental health strategy.

As the Welsh Government’s 10-year mental health strategy enters its second phase, it falls to us to ensure that delivery of the strategy matches its aims. Unfortunately, Gofal’s report, which was released this week, highlights the fact that delivery does not always match ambition. We must ensure that your new delivery plan actually delivers improved outcomes for the thousands of people in Wales suffering from mental health issues. The delivery plan for 2016-19 identifies children and young people’s mental health as a priority area, and we totally agree with you on that.

Young people referred to CAMHS have to wait much longer than adults have to wait. The target waiting time is a shocking 112 days and around half of all referrals exceeded that target. We therefore welcome the commitment in the delivery plan to reduce waiting times to 28 days for routine referrals and 48 hours for urgent referrals. When the former Health and Social Care Committee undertook post-legislative scrutiny of the mental health Measure, it found that children and young people were not benefiting from the Measure. Since the committee undertook its review, the Welsh Government announced it was reviewing the CAMHS service, and on this side of our party, we look forward to the review’s conclusions.

However, if we are to take the pressure off our acute services, we need to improve access to other psychological therapies. Early access to talking therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, is proven to improve recovery and reduce the need for more acute services. Mind recommends that the maximum waiting time from referral to the first treatment should be 28 days, and when someone presents with a mental health emergency, the wait should be even shorter. However, waiting times across Wales are much longer; in some parts of Wales the average waits are around 11 months. This is unacceptable. People in distress should not be made to wait months for treatment. We wouldn’t leave someone in severe pain for that length of time. Why should mental health be any different to physical health? We must work with patients also to eradicate the stigma attached to mental health issues.

Of course, if we are to improve mental health services, we must ensure that the correct funding is in place. We welcome the Welsh Government’s commitment in the delivery plan to maintain the ring-fencing of funding for mental health. However, the level of funding appears insufficient. Mental health problems account for around a quarter of all health problems, yet we are spending just 11.4 per cent of the NHS Wales budget. In England, where the mental health budget is not ring-fenced, they are spending 11.9 per cent of the NHS budget on mental health.

One LHB, Aneurin Bevan, routinely spends over 17 per cent more than its ring-fenced allocation.

PricewaterhouseCoopers, in their review of the financial ring-fencing arrangements for mental health services in Wales, state that the ring-fenced allocation is not based on a robust assessment of healthcare needs. Cabinet Secretary, it is clear from all evidence that we need to spend more on mental health services in Wales. We understand that there is a pot—a small pot—and it has to be equalled in the services we provide, but we are asking that this is one priority that we do need to spend more on.

We welcome the fact that additional moneys have been targeted at priority areas in the delivery plan, but we would ask that you consider increasing the ring fence. I look forward to working with you to deliver your mental health strategy, but also to holding you to account to ensure that the strategy delivers real improvements to the mental health of the people of Wales. Diolch yn fawr iawn.