I would like to thank Lynne, Adam and David for bringing forward this very important debate. Next week is Baby Loss Awareness Week and what better way to mark it than to debate the support Wales gives to those families affected by baby loss?

It is a sad fact that pregnancy loss and the death of a baby are not rare. A quarter of pregnancies end in miscarriage and every day in the UK 15 babies die before, during or shortly after birth. This is devastating for the parents and, sadly, they often don't get the help and support they need, but we give thanks to all of those who give their time and help, and succeed in making things better. We can do so much more for the hundreds of Welsh families that suffer from baby loss. Unfortunately, Wales has no specialist miscarriage clinic and Welsh patients find it difficult to get a referral to the Tommy's clinic in Coventry.

Campaigners recently presented the Welsh Government with a 24-page report, detailing actions that could be taken to improve services for families suffering from recurrent miscarriage. The 'Making the Case for Better Miscarriage Care in Wales' report makes 11 recommendations, which include the creation of dedicated recurrent pregnancy loss clinics in Wales.

We are providing care for those suffering from pregnancy loss, but it has to improve, and sometimes pregnant mothers are given a leaflet and sent home following a miscarriage and there is no bereavement support for the mother or the father and no follow-up. Some families suffer this multiple times and if they are lucky, they may get a referral to a gynaecologist. One couple were told, after their fifth miscarriage, that some people are just incompatible and they should consider adoption. So there needs to be more understanding of how to treat bereaved families. Even though we are succeeding in many areas and many people get the support that they need, there are those slipping through the net.

Sadly, less than half the local health boards provide mandatory bereavement care training for staff and those that do offer training provide less than one hour of training each year. I am pleased that the Welsh Government accept that compassionate bereavement care and support is a key part of maternity services provision. However, this is not happening on the ground. There are very long waits for bereavement counselling in Wales and, as a rule, these services are not offered to families suffering from miscarriage.

I do hope the Cabinet Secretary, in responding to this debate, will indicate support for the 'Making the Case for Better Miscarriage Care in Wales' report’s recommendations. We have to do better for families in Wales suffering from baby loss. Although we are doing an awful lot, there's more that we can do. So, let’s mark Baby Loss Awareness Week by improving services for Welsh families by working together. I pay thanks to those who are already succeeding and helping people in Wales to move on and have the support that they need. So, I urge members to support this motion. Thank you very much.