Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm happy to start this debate by confirming that the Government will support the motion. And I also want to set out that I won't be able to respond to all of the detailed points that Members have made in the debate, but I have taken the time to listen to each of the contributions and the points that have been made. Of course, I will have the opportunity, as the Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee has set out, to answer some detailed questions at the end of the evidence for the inquiry that is taking place. I suspect that, given that there are only two hours to speak to myself and the Cabinet Secretary for Education, there may yet be some questions for us to answer in correspondence afterwards, and I'm recognising one of my faults as a person in doing so. 

I want to reaffirm this Government's recognition of the impact of mental health issues on a wide variety of areas and on our ability to function as people, as individuals and with others, but also to restate our commitment to, and investment in, improving mental health across Wales. And, of course, the Government restated our commitment and recognition of the key importance of mental health by positioning it as one of the five priority areas in our national strategy 'Prosperity for All'. And, importantly, this isn't just a health challenge. All of the Welsh Government and our partners outside Government need to consider the impact of mental health across all that we do, because this is a complex issue and one that cannot be tackled by the NHS alone. So, this isn't just a public service issue. It's an issue that cuts across the public and the private sector, voluntary and statutory, an issue for each and every community in Wales. For instance, parenting, education, employment and housing are all protective factors for mental health, and if any one of those fails, it often has a consequence in mental health outcomes. People had more to say about adverse childhood experiences, and I was pleased to hear Angela Burns mention that in her opening remarks. 

The Government's cross-cutting approach is underpinned by a range of policies, programmes and legislation that we have introduced to improve mental health and well-being in Wales. The Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010 is a unique piece of cross-party legislation, designed to improve access to, and delivery of, services. And the Measure has helped to drive improvement in mental health service delivery since its implementation in 2012. That Measure is at the heart of our 10-year mental health strategy, 'Together for Mental Health', which we published in 2012. It takes a population approach to improve the mental well-being of people in Wales, and to support people with a mental illness. It sets out clearly our actions and those of partner organisations to make the strategy a reality, and this approach is supported by significant investment.

We continue to spend more on mental health services than any other part of NHS Wales. And, as was acknowledged, there is a ring-fence around mental health spending, and I'll take on board some of the comments made by Angela Burns on that. We've increased funding, not just previously, as we're going to be seeing an increase in funding in the mental health ring-fence by a further £20 million to nearly £650 million in the next financial year. And on top of those general increases, £22 million of funding has been targeted to improve access to a number of specific service improvement areas for people of all ages in the previous two years. In this, I really do think that the Government in Wales has a good record of not just talking about mental health, because when we say that increases are going to be found for mental health services, they are spent in those areas.

I would say that when we look at the picture across the border in England, I think it's been a really positive thing to have the last two Prime Ministers talk so openly about mental health. The challenge there is is that lots of the money that has been outlined for mental health has actually gone into the bottom line for services. So, actually, in England, they have a challenge about catching up with some of the progress we have made in this area. We have the alternative challenge of continuing to improve in this area to make sure that the money that we spend delivers real value in each and every one of our communities. But, the value and the commitment to mental health that I believe we have consistently demonstrated through the Measure, 'Together for Mental Health' and our targeted investment provides a strong foundation for us to engage with the transformational vision demanded of us in the parliamentary review.

In terms of access to mental health services—people rightly regularly discuss and talk about it in correspondence, in person, in corridors, in the Chamber, and of course in committees too—our aim still remains, and it must be, to ensure that everyone in Wales has access to the right care when they need it, irrespective of other factors such as race, sexuality or language. This is about genuinely providing the right service. So, we're working with both the NHS and with third sector partners to try and deliver equal access for all. For example, this morning, I published our new dementia plan and all of the actions in that dementia plan are underpinned by the principle of equitable access. 

But, we do recognise, as Angela Burns mentioned, the very real challenge of stigma around mental health. It's one of the most significant issues that prevents people from talking about their problems and seeking help at as early an opportunity as possible. The challenge there is, again, how people are prepared to listen, to demonstrate more kindness to the people around them, and at the same time to encourage people to get over that stigma and actually say, 'I need help', and to understand where to find it.