I’m glad that Plaid Cymru have chosen for debate the issue of mental health this week, a week in which mental health day was observed throughout the world. Figures show that mental ill health will affect one in four people during their lives, and by 2020, mental ill health-related problems will be second to heart diseases as the leading contributor to the global burden of disease. That is why mental health services continue to be a major priority for this Welsh Labour Government.

Last week, I was delighted to attend in the Pierhead building We Need to Talk, a coalition of third sector mental health charities and professional organisations that are campaigning for improved access to psychological therapies for people with mental health problems in Wales. We Need to Talk identified the cost of mental health problems in Wales, estimated at £7.2 billion a year. And the cost associated with poor mental health in the workplace amounts to nearly £1.2 billion a year alone, and that’s equivalent to £860 for every employee in the Welsh workforce. And though these figures are truly staggering, the cost to Wales is even greater, for every individual who suffers from mental health problems is an individual: a mother or a father or a son or a daughter; a loving person suffering, often invisibly alone. The value of the named days such as World Mental Health Day, and debates such as this one, cannot be underestimated. Stigma still resides on this subject, and it is a truth that while the physical injuries such as a broken leg are understandable, the paralysing potential effects of mental health problems can cause a silent challenge for us all.

In talking through the issues of mental health this week in my office, it was actually brought to my attention the autobiography of England cricketer Jonathan Trott that had just been published. Trott was a highly successful international cricketer who played for England, as I’m sure many people know, before making headline news in 2013 by returning home from Australia after the first Ashes test. This seemingly super-healthy sportsperson at the peak of his powers writes:

‘I hadn’t slept, I hadn’t eaten and I hadn’t been able to stop the throbbing in my head.’

He recounts that he had to telephone his father to tell him that he was unable to cope any longer and he was flying home.

‘He didn’t say it’, he said,

‘But I knew he’d be disappointed.’

And he wrote:

‘The man I most wanted to make proud, I’d shamed.’

His use of language is illuminating and harrowing. Interestingly, it is his description of his anxiety-related illness and his explicit and public decision to describe his situation as an anxiety-related illness rather than depression that caused controversy itself. Former England captain Michael Vaughan said he felt a ‘little bit conned’, saying:

‘When I hear players talking about burnout, I suspect it is an excuse.’

This public example of Jonathan Trott, misunderstood by fellow players, seemingly with every trapping of success, is a clear warning to us of the stigma that continues to swirl like the fog proverbial of Baker Street in ‘Sherlock Holmes’. It still surrounds mental health issues. Nine out of 10 people with mental ill health find that stigma and discrimination can be a barrier to everyday activities, and that is why one of the central themes of ‘Together for Mental Health’ is about changing attitudes to mental health culturally, and why Welsh Labour is committed to ending mental health discrimination in the programme for government.

I was heartened to hear the statement of the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport on the second delivery plan of the Welsh Government’s 10-year cross-governmental strategy, ‘Together for Mental Health’. I acknowledge that there are criticisms, and Sarah Moseley, director of Mind Cymru, whilst welcoming the plan, stated Mind’s concerns that mental health services are significantly underfunded, but yet, in 2015-16, the budget for mental health services in Wales is £587 million, up from £389 million in 2009-10. This equates to 11.4 per cent of the total Welsh NHS budget, the single biggest area of Welsh NHS expenditure. As the health Minister stated yesterday, over the last two financial years, we have announced over £22 million of new funding for a range of new provision across all ages. The delivery plan identifies a priority area that aims to ensure children and young people with mental health problems get better sooner. Yesterday I was fortunate to attend Childline’s thirtieth birthday celebrations in the Senedd with Dame Esther Rantzen, and it is worth noting that NSPCC Cymru, commentating on the delivery, welcomes the emphasis that the Welsh Government has given to prioritising this issue. Recent additional investment into child and adolescent services in Wales should continue, and it’s important that delays in accessing services are further reduced. It’s a shame, therefore, that Plaid Cymru have sought to focus their new motion on their usual preoccupation with powers for politicians, unlike the opposition amendment that addresses this subject. As such, I very much welcome—