Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I thank my colleague for raising this matter in the Chamber, but also the contribution of Jenny Rathbone. You both made your own perspectives and points very clear about the decision taken by Cardiff University.

I think it’s important to start off by recognising the impact of heart disease. We’ve heard recently, and again reminded ourselves in the Chamber today, that dementia is now recognised as a bigger killer, but there’s still much more to do to improve outcomes for people with heart disease as well as preventing people from suffering heart disease in the first place. I’m grateful to Julie Morgan for highlighting the important impact that research has had on improving outcomes for patients with cardiovascular disease.

In this particular instance, Members will of course know that the Welsh Government can’t direct the university to unpick the decision that they have taken, but of course the opportunity to have these debates is about much more than giving a message to the Government. But I do want to recognise the significant work already undertaken and that continues to be undertaken by the British Heart Foundation, and I am pleased to see that they’re continuing to invest in research in Wales with the imminent opening of a new research unit in Swansea University’s medical school. I know that the unit at Swansea will be operational early next year, and I look forward to hearing more from the university and the dean about the detail of the research that will continue there. I do want to congratulate Swansea University on developing their own capability in cardiovascular research, and I look forward to following their future success in this area.

The British Heart Foundation, of course, has been and continues to be a strong partner in a range of cross-funder initiatives such as the national prevention research initiative and the UKCRC Public Health Research Centres of Excellence. These initiatives have quite a significant investment in Welsh-led research. Now, through maintaining those partnerships, and through our investment and research delivery in health service settings, this Government will continue to support the efforts of the British Heart Foundation and their research partners to improve the diagnosis, treatment and health outcomes for people in Wales. Again, I want to recognise that a significant section of Julie Morgan’s contribution recognised the need to continue within this area.

From the Welsh Government’s point of view, we will continue to support heart research in a number of ways, and perhaps I can explain some of what we’re doing for the Chamber. We’ve recently appointed a Welsh speciality lead for cardiovascular disease, Dr Zaheer Yousef of Cardiff and Vale University Local Health Board. Dr Yousef will work with Health and Care Research Wales to champion cardiovascular research in the NHS and to increase the number of heart disease trials open to patients across Wales. That’s a regular feature of demand from the public and a range of third-sector partners and champions. As the cardiovascular disease speciality lead, Dr Yousef will also receive funding to support the research development group activity and to identify further important research questions and seek the funding needed to answer them. So, again, there’s recognition that the research won’t stop in the Cardiff area with the decision that the Member raises.

Through the National Centre for Population Health and Wellbeing Research, again recognised by Julie Morgan, we will also be funding a prescribing and dispensing data research development group that has a focus on cardiovascular and renal research questions. Through Health and Care Research Wales we will continue to provide opportunities for cardiovascular researchers through our open national peer-review funding schemes. We’re currently funding a number of projects with relevance to heart disease focused on lifestyle factors and better health outcomes.

Here of course, as a country, we have a rich history of using research evidence to improve people’s lives. For example, the work and influence of Archie Cochrane, and the creation of the Caerphilly heart disease cohort. The Caerphilly cohort is in fact the longest running study of its kind, inspiring more than 400 research papers and further study worldwide. The lessons we’ve learned from that group of people, that remarkable group of men who have given up lots of their data and interest about how they live their lives and the impact this has had on their health outcomes, has told us an awful lot more than just the cardiovascular element of health outcomes—the influencing factors that each of us can have on our own likely health outcomes in the future.

I do recognise the history that this particular unit in Cardiff has had, the significance in terms of public memory, and the attachment of a wide range of people to the centre. I do want to particularly, before I finish, recognise the contribution of a wide range of people in contributing to the research output that Julie Morgan highlights today. But we, as a Government, are keen to build on that history and to re-engage the population in research, which is why we established HealthWise Wales, which hopes to involve everyone in Wales in improving the health and well-being of the population. I’d encourage Members of this Chamber as well—you too can be involved as part of the public to sign up to that research initiative. There are lots of things we really can do and can improve upon in Wales as well. Heart disease will continue to be a significant area of interest and investment from this Government’s point of view, and we look forward to working with partners in our university sector, within the NHS, and the third sector too, and continue to improve outcomes and research output for people right across Wales. Again, I thank Julie Morgan for raising this topic and bringing it to the Chamber.