Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'd like to start by thanking the committee members for their work in producing the report 'Everybody's Business' on suicide prevention in Wales. And I do welcome today's debate. It's been difficult but important and a step forward in discussing the issue in what, in the main, has been a very mature and sensitive manner, because improving mental health and well-being and preventing suicide continue to be a priority for this Welsh Government.

The recommendations align broadly with those in the midpoint review of the 'Talk to me 2' strategy. Work is already under way with the national advisory group to deliver on these. The report provides further evidence, which will help to shape our programme of work, to maximise its impact on reducing suicide here in Wales.

I was pleased to agree or agree in principle with all of the recommendations, and I will summarise some of the main actions arising out of the inquiry. Members should be aware of the steps we've taken in recent years to improve suicide prevention through 'Talk to me 2'. I remain determined to strengthen our approach to prevent suicide, because, whilst we have come a long way, I recognise that there's still much more that can be done.

I was pleased to announce at the recent national suicide prevention conference the extra £500,000 additional money each year to support the national and regional approaches to help prevent suicide and self-harm. This additional funding will be used in part to recruit a national lead and three regional leads across Wales to co-ordinate and drive that work forward and to support the monitoring and implementation of local plans. However, that funding should not be seen in isolation. Our broader approach to improve mental health and well-being and improve access to services helps to support the aspiration that we all share. We continue to spend more on mental health services than any other part of NHS Wales. Mental health spending is ring-fenced in Wales, and over the last couple of years we've increased funding by a further £20 million to £655 million in this financial year. And that's included funding targeted at improving access for a number of specific areas, including older persons' mental health, child and adolescent mental health services, psychological therapies for adults, community perinatal mental health services and the local primary and mental health support services.

Improving access to out-of-hours and crisis care is a priority for our mental health transformation fund. We've recently committed £1 million for a range of approaches to improve support, including liaison services, crisis support and street triage. And crisis and out-of-hours care have been identified as a priority area for investment in the year ahead. So, we are working with a range of agencies, including the police and local authorities, to determine the most effective approach to target this investment.

The additional £7.1 million a year that I recently announced will build on our previous investment and aims to achieve sustainable improvements to child and adolescent mental health services, but it will also be used to support the whole-school approach to emotional mental health and well-being, because we are confident that a whole-school approach will help to ensure that mental health and well-being become central to the way that schools work and that the school ethos will support the broader mental health and well-being of learners.

And, in response to one of Lynne Neagle's points, I can say that the education Minister and I expect guidance for schools on talking about suicide to be published in April this year. On a separate point, relating to young people rather than children, the education Minister will shortly make an announcement on support for mental health provision within higher education.

Central to our approach with children and young people is having the opportunity to directly feed in their views. So, we're working with Children in Wales and the NHS to convene a youth stakeholder group, which will meet for the first time this month, to work alongside and advise us as activity progresses. As part of our continued effort to improve the knowledge and skills of front-line staff, including GPs, through the implementation of a training framework, we'll include providing information to services to make informed decisions about appropriate training for their needs.

We do recognise the need to ensure appropriate support is available for those bereaved by suicide. There's some challenge about language, and I'm not sure that everyone will understand what 'postvention' means, but we are talking about the support that we do provide. That's why we've committed to a review of existing support and to targeted investment where it is needed, and I expect that there will be further investment needed. That is certainly not being kicked into the long grass. I am committed to improving how we improve support, not whether we should do so, and I recognise the committee's expectations for action to be taken within a reasonable period of time, and not several years of waiting.

This work will include the implementation of the support after suicide pathway and improved awareness-raising of resources, including 'Help is at Hand', and, to be fair, this inquiry has a made a difference in making sure that that is much more easily available online, and in hard copy, to support people who have been bereaved by suicide. We'll undertake an awareness campaign targeted at front-line staff in the public sector, including ambulance staff, GPs and A&E clinicians. The aim is to ensure that front-line services can respond appropriately and sensitively to people in distress.

One of the recommendations in the report was to provide a single point of access to help and support. I was pleased to support the national advisory group with the launch of its new website on 30 January this year. The website aims to improve access to support and enable people to access advice and information. It will include sections for workplaces, children, young people, schools, parents, those who work in health and social care settings, as well as those bereaved through suicide.

Supporting people to talk about mental health problems is the first step to providing appropriate and adequate support. Raising awareness, and tackling stigma and discrimination, are central to 'Together for Mental Health' and 'Talk to me 2', and a theme that many have mentioned in their contributions today. The Welsh Government continues to be a strong supporter of voluntary sector-led campaigns to do just that.

I do understand that people are also concerned about the effect that social media can have on mental health. Our chief medical officer, together with counterparts across the UK, recently published advice that recognised that social media and screen time can be beneficial. However, it also highlights the impact of screen time on healthy child development, such as exercise and sleep, and challenges the industry for a voluntary code of conduct to safeguard children and young people online.

Now, I do recognise the specific links of suicide in the farming community, as we mentioned today in this debate, but also in my appearance before the health committee this morning. It is a feature of our current and future work to improve the practical support available. The committee report also highlighted male suicide as a national priority—again, mentioned by a number of Members. We do recognise the importance of identifying support, and we have a range of programmes already in place to help support men. Phase 3 of the Time to Change Wales anti-stigma campaign, which we jointly fund, has a focus on middle-aged men for the next period. We also provide funding to third sector organisations through section 64 mental health grants to supplement and enhance services already being provided by NHS Wales and local authorities.

Two specific schemes we're currently funding are Men's Sheds, to help address loneliness and isolation, and the Samaritans, who focus on suicide prevention, whilst Government officials will continue to meet regularly with the national advisory group. And now that all regions of Wales have developed their local plans, officials will develop clearer reporting guidelines to monitor implementation of local action alongside national work. We have a serious programme of work that can make a real difference. I look forward to providing further updates on the progress made against the recommendations in this report.