5. Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services: The Chief Medical Officer's Annual Report 2016-17

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:50 pm on 6 February 2018.

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Photo of Jane Hutt Jane Hutt Labour 4:50, 6 February 2018

Cabinet Secretary, I do welcome the chief medical officer's annual report, and I welcome the focus on the adverse impact of gambling on public health.

Dr Atherton, our CMO for Wales points to the fact that gambling has great potential to cause harm to individuals, families and society and he calls for better research and monitoring of the impact of gambling on health and for greater regulatory control in Wales and the UK, and you've been answering questions on that point. But last year, I co-sponsored research undertaken by the University of South Wales for a report, 'An investigation of the social impact of problem gambling in Wales', with Jayne Bryant, Mick Antoniw, Ken Skates and Lesley Griffiths. Alongside this, do you welcome the research undertaken by Citizens Advice Cardiff and Vale on gambling disorders and gambling-related harm, and welcome the conference that they're holding on 23 March to consider the findings and the way forward? I would invite you, or, indeed, an official to attend that event, which I'm addressing.

I also welcome the case studies in the CMO's report taken from Citizens Advice. Do you agree that advice services are playing a vital role in supporting people who fall into debt and distress as a result of gambling? If you're minded to accept the recommendations in the CMO's report, will you draw on the expertise of third sector organisations like Citizens Advice in producing an action plan on this issue? And do you recognise that this needs to be tackled at all levels of Government, but also needs to involve those at the front line supporting people affected by what can be a drastically negative impact of gambling?