For my contribution, I just want to really make some general observations on the issues around isolation and loneliness, rather than focusing on any of the specific recommendations, because it's a huge irony, isn't it, in the days of the internet, of knowing that people can FaceTime each other from four corners of the globe, that on our very doorsteps, here in our communities, we find the problems of loneliness and isolation.

I think this partly reflects the stresses placed on the social fabric of our communities. Too much of the public realm, too many of those things that we all hold for the common good, are being sacrificed in these times of austerity, and surely it's for all of us to place a far higher premium on retaining those shared spaces that allow people to make connections with each other. And by shared spaces, I don't just mean the physical buildings, important as they are, but also those networks that bring people together. After all, it is the social networks that provide the foundations of so much care and resilience.  

So, while the inquiry established that the problems of loneliness and isolation are most commonly associated with older people, and that was very much what we concentrated on, the issues outlined in this report do affect a wide range of other groups, and Angela Burns touched on that, as did Lynne Neagle. I'm pleased that the committee will be doing some further work on this as well, but it would be good if the Minister can confirm that the Welsh Government will secure a cross-departmental approach in the forthcoming strategy that will address the wider issues of isolation and loneliness across other groups in society, including ex-service personnel, single parents, young people, as we've already heard from, to name but a few, because the report shows why investing in measures to prevent isolation and loneliness makes good economic sense for all parts of Government. 

We've already heard about invest-to-save—that's been mentioned by a number of speakers today—and this is an invest-to-save activity. If we can help to provide people with stronger networks, then we're less likely to have to tackle the acute deterioration of physical and mental health conditions associated with this problem, conditions that in the most extreme circumstances, as Lynne Neagle has already said, can lead to the tragedy of suicide and other forms of self-harm. 

Now, as Dai Lloyd mentioned in his opening remarks, one of the most enlightening areas of our inquiry for me was the importance—it was evidenced—of inter-generational contact as a simple cost-effective, and I'll use the word 'therapy', for want of a better word. That allows me, I think, to briefly mention a project that I had some personal involvement with that showed the value of that inter-generational activity. 

Shortly before Christmas, Merthyr and Tredegar Only Boys Aloud choir visited care homes in the area to sing Christmas songs and carols with residents as part of their Home for Christmas initiative, linking young and older people together through music and song. And I had the great pleasure of joining those young boys to sing a song or two at the Greenhill Manor Care Home in Merthyr Tydfil. The main point of that was to give me the chance  to witness the mutual pleasure of older and younger people joined together in the simple joy of music and song. And what I saw there was joy and healing in progress, and for a few short hours people enjoying social connections, irrespective of their age. It was an absolute pleasure to witness it, and it was a pleasure to be part of it. 

In 2016, Llywydd, I was very proud to campaign on a manifesto that committed to addressing the issues of isolation and loneliness, so I am pleased that the Government has responded positively to our report as they bring forward their strategy. And in closing, Llywydd, I also believe that in bringing forward a clear plan of action for Wales, we will pay our rightful respects to the former MP Jo Cox, and the invaluable work of the foundation established in her name, which is continuing the work of the loneliness commission that Jo established to bring about a step change in the public policy response to the UK's loneliness crisis—a crisis that all of us, and not just Government, have a duty to address.