Can I thank the committee for actually working on this report? As the older people's champion for our party, this is a key issue, and it's something that I've worked with Sarah Rochira on. The sheer numbers of people reported as experiencing loneliness and isolation: 18 per cent of the UK population, equating to almost 458,000 people in Wales. Again, amongst older people, 25 per cent report being lonely, 27 per cent socially isolated. Seventy-five per cent of women and 66 per cent of men over 65 years of age are now living alone.

We often rush to think of older people in this regard, but this report, and evidence here today, show that this can impact on a much wider range of social groups. Our younger individuals are finding themselves worthless as a result of living alone, often resorting to social media as a means of dealing with the realities of isolation, and, quite often, this is their only means of actual communication with the outside world. LGBT and BME communities are really affected, bringing further isolation.

The cost of loneliness and isolation to our public services and productivity is £2.6 billion a year. There is a £427 million cost to our health service, not to mention the cost in real terms to the quality of life and longevity of each one of these individuals.

The relative ease and low cost of tackling this issue—and I say that because a lot of the issues we deal with here need Government resources. There's a lot we can do in terms of support, and we could all do, actually, within our own communities. Prevention is key, and the sooner we act, the better. Value for money in terms of investment is clear. The Eden Project estimates that disconnected communities cost the Welsh economy in excess of £1 billion a year in terms of lost productivity. Yet simple measures such as reinvesting in local and community transport and supporting buses, an area that has faced cuts of over £4.2 million, over 20 per cent, since 2011—. So, whilst we're talking about it, we're actually seeing negative things coming forward that are making the situation worse. On our health and social services, in particular, the impact is considerable.

Tackling these issues could prevent otherwise unnecessary GP appointments and visits, freeing up vital resources for our already stretched GPs. The additional associated health implications add to NHS pressures: depression, high blood pressure, increased risks of heart attack, stroke and dementia, to name but a few. We know that the British Red Cross estimates that the cost of increased service usage by older people experiencing loneliness as up to £12,000 per person over the next 15 years. And if you correlate that up to the numbers, we're talking—. This is a ticking time bomb.

The Eden Project has found that social cohesion currently saves £245 million annually in reduced demand on health services in Wales, and could save £681 million if action was undertaken nationwide: befriending, for example. I know I've raised it here before—is it the Silver Line? There's a phone line you can phone. Esther Rantzen started it up, and that's an extremely good project; I know people in my own constituency have used it. Intermediate care funding is used to support third sector organisations in Aberconwy, to run local friendship groups such as a regular watercolour class, and one of our local councillors now has hired a local church hall and does a monthly film show—Councillor Julie Fallon. And I'd like to pay credit to her for her initiative in ensuring that these lonely people who feel isolated can come together and watch a film together—a film that often brings back many happy memories for them. A number of groups have been identified by Alzheimer's Society Cymru.

Deputy Llywydd, last year, Fiona Phillips undertook an experiment whereby she spent five days alone to experience the effects of loneliness and isolation. After less than 24 hours without contact, she felt despondent and unimportant. By day 3, she was desolate. Day 4: tearful. And by day 5, she felt her self-worth had plummeted. This is a young lady who has a family around her. She tried the experiment for a week. It is an experiment that brought some reality into her life, and she had the support of her family. Imagine when you haven't got that family around you, so let's all do everything we can to support every single individual that is living alone and feels socially isolated.