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 4:52 pm on 6 February 2018.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 4:52, 6 February 2018

I thank you for those brief comments and points. I'm interested in the work being done by Citizens Advice here in Cardiff and Vale to understand the scale of the problem with gambling in this particular part of Wales. On the event on 23 March, I won't give a commitment without having checked my diary—I've been told off about that before, about giving commitments and then not understanding whether I can do them or not—but to look at the event on 23 March. I would be interested, if I'm not able to attend, in whether we can have someone there from Welsh Government to understand the nature of the report and the evidence that's been collected, and what that looks like.

So, that leads into your second point about advice services, not just Citizens Advice, but a range of other organisations, a number of which are mentioned in the report. They are really important in helping people to try and get through problem gambling and understanding where it gets picked up and how people are supported. That's not just about financial advice, but a whole range of other impacts that problem gambling can have. And that, absolutely, is part of the work that the CMO and stakeholders are considering in actually having a response to the problem of gambling and its public health impact. So, I think the points are well made, and in coming back to this place to have an update on that, I'm sure that'll be part of what we'll want to cover in doing so.