Diolch. Can I first of all thank you, acting Presiding Officer, and, more importantly, can I thank Eluned Morgan for a minute in this debate, and raising the issues? Let me state at the outset I don’t necessarily agree with everything she said, but I think the issues are worth raising, and they are important.

Most social services departments in Wales are under more financial pressure than any other service area in the public sector, and that includes the health service. We know that the population is ageing and that people are living longer, often with substantial care needs that have to be provided outside of hospital. We also know that whilst health deterioration and hospitalisation needs normally occur in the last two years of life, whatever age that is, social care can be needed for decades and the amount needed can and usually does increase as people become more frail and in need of more support.

Can I just add two quick points? I think loneliness is something that is really the curse of an awful lot of elderly people. If I could actually do one thing by using a magic wand, I’d deal with loneliness because it really is probably the biggest killer. The other thing is: Eluned talked about merging health and social care funding. All I can say is that when primary and secondary care got merged, primary care didn’t do very well.