Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Can I start by fully endorsing all the sentiments expressed so eloquently by Dai Lloyd earlier on? As a sitting magistrate for 13 years, I saw the devastating effect that drugs and alcohol can have on individuals' lives and, very often, those individuals came from chaotic backgrounds and really did not have the sort of start in life that most of us enjoyed. Therefore, as a magistrate, and with the other magistrates, we always sought to have interventions that were not criminalising these people, if possible. But we were frustrated by the fact that, if we gave something like drug rehabilitation orders, they would not come into effect for something like four months, by which time, of course, the people had probably committed further crimes during that period of time. So, I fully endorse everything that Dai Lloyd said earlier on.

I want to turn now, if I can—. I'm sure the Cabinet Secretary will know that Brynawel House in Llanharan is one of only two residential rehabilitation facilities in Wales, the other being Ty'n Rodyn in Bangor, both of which were talked about earlier by Mark Isherwood. Brynawel offers life-changing treatment for those struggling with alcohol dependency, even dealing with those with alcohol-related brain damage. Their unique treatment techniques have been recognised by many local authorities outside Wales, and yet it appears to be badly neglected by local authorities here in Wales, to the extent that there's a very real possibility that Brynawel may actually close.

In fact, Merthyr Tydfil local authority, for instance, has not referred one patient to Brynawel in the last five years. This is despite the fact that each council can access the £1 million ring-fenced by the Welsh Government for residential care treatment. One of my constituents told me that she had begged Merthyr council to admit her husband to residential care, but was told unequivocally that Merthyr borough council did not refer alcohol abusers for this type of treatment. This appears to be a stance that many local authorities are adopting given the lack of take-up of the facilities offered by Brynawel. Surely, with statistics showing that other interventions are having limited success, it is incumbent on local authorities to explore every type of intervention, including residential treatment. I call upon the Minister to explore the reasons for local authorities’ reluctance to use residential treatment as one of the tools to treat alcohol and drug abuse, particularly where other interventions have failed.