As the chair of the cross-party group on diabetes, I'd like to thank the Petitions Committee and all those who were involved in the journey of this petition through the Assembly. I'd particularly like to pay tribute to the Baldwin family for their hard work, tenacity and dedication to such an important and very personal campaign. Beth and the family are watching from the gallery today, and I know that they feel it's been a huge team effort. You cannot underestimate the power of sharing your experiences of the devastating loss of Peter. You have shown such strength and courage throughout this campaign. We're all really proud of you, and Peter would be so proud, too. Like many others, I've been touched by the stories of children who have been saved because they were able to get diagnosis as a result of your work, so I thank you, Beth, and your family, for everything you've done in Peter's name. It's a really beautiful legacy.   

I'm glad that the Welsh Government responded so positively to the report from the Petitions Committee, and that the Cabinet Secretary has given the recommendations the consideration that they deserve. Type 1 diabetes is the most common autoimmune condition in the UK. it's estimated that around 19,000 people are living with type 1 diabetes in Wales. Many people live well with type 1 diabetes for many years. Countless people have also shown that type 1 is no barrier to living active lives, from individuals running marathons to Team Oarstruck from Caerleon rowing the Atlantic, the hardest rowing race in the world.

Key to living well with type 1 is good management of the condition, and this can only be achieved if the person knows that they have it. Diagnosis is absolutely critical. And yet one in four children in Wales are diagnosed with type 1 later than they could have been. I'm sure everyone here will agree that this number is too high. We know that there have been improvements within our health service. I've recently heard of work being carried out on a new reporting system that will ensure that lessons are learned from late diagnosis. By sharing information across teams, I hope that missed opportunities to diagnose earlier will be taken in the future. I've also heard of excellent research being done here in Wales on whether digital prompts in primary care could improve the rates of earlier diagnosis. I hope that this will be successful in supporting doctors in early diagnosis.

We can also be pleased that a new pathway has been rolled out across Wales, as stated in the written response from Welsh Government. I'd like to acknowledge the brilliant work being done by the Children and Young People's Diabetes Network in making this a reality. The implementation of the pathway will be key to its success, and I'm glad that the Cabinet Secretary has committed to seek assurances from all seven health boards that this is being adopted and that primary and secondary care will be working together on the delivery of the new pathway.

But, as ever, more can be done. I believe that we all agree that every child, every young person, deserves the opportunity to live a happy, healthy life, with or without diabetes. The 4 Ts campaign— thirsty, tired, toilet, thinner—to raise awareness of the symptoms of type 1, has been well received by healthcare professionals, families and schools, but no organisation, doctor or family can solve this issue alone. That's why I hope the Cabinet Secretary will again commit to working with health boards and other key organisations to ensure that the 4 Ts campaign is promoted in all appropriate settings.

There have been a number of studies looking at the effectiveness of awareness campaigns, and their findings suggest that the most targeted campaigns have the biggest impact. Simple messages can save lives, and today's petition is a call for action, and Wales can lead the way.