I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. If I shut my eyes, it could almost be groundhog day, because when I first came to this Chamber, I sat in this very chair and my colleague Jonathan Morgan sat where Nick Ramsay sits, and in the ballot for Measures at that time, he was lucky enough to win the ballot for the mental health Measure that came out. The Government took that mental health Measure on themselves, and it was subsequently introduced. One of the things, obviously, that the Measure was trying to achieve was an end to the postcode lottery that many people felt existed at the time. Some 10 years later, sadly, that postcode lottery, according to Healthcare Inspectorate Wales's report, clearly does still exist in many mental health services.

This isn't about scoring political points in any shape or form. I don't believe mental health is a political point, to be honest with you. I would find it remarkable if anyone from any political party was trying to do down mental health services or the provision of mental health services. It is a challenging environment to work in, especially when you look at the increased demand for those services. But it is vital that there is a coherent plan put in place to actually live up to the sentiments that were expressed in this Chamber some 10 years ago about cancelling out that postcode lottery, about understanding the significance of the demands on the services, whether that be in the community setting or in the acute setting. I do hope that the Minister, when he engages with the rounding up of the debate this afternoon, will give us confidence that, as a Minister and as a department—and across Government, in fact, because this isn't just about the health department, this is across Government—there is a collegial plan in place to actually lift those delivery targets so that people can, ultimately, get those waiting times down and achieve the response that they require when an emergency does happen and family members look for that support to support that loved one who finds themselves at that crisis point.

One of the things when the Youth Parliament was announced recently and when I met members of the Youth Parliament from my own elected area—each and every one of the members highlighted as their priority area mental health services for young people, and the delivery of mental health support in the school setting, in particular. One thing that the mental health Measure obviously didn't confer was that right on anyone under the age of 18. It was a point that we tried to look into at the time, and it is a growing and troubling area of concern that you look at the wait times for young people to access help and support, you look at the wait times for the families to get that support, and it's just not happening, Minister. I do hope, again, that in your response to his, you can give us some insight into what developments you are putting in place to support people in education who do struggle with their mental health, because, obviously, we do know that is a growing area of concern. As I said, when I met members who were elected from my own electoral area to the Youth Parliament, they were deeply, deeply concerned about this area and listed it as one of their top three priorities.

Also, I do believe that, looking at the report and in particular looking at some of the language that comes out, there is provision, obviously, and rightly so, for the provision of mental health services in English and Welsh, but as a representative for South Wales Central—and the Minister himself represents one of the most diverse communities in Wales, Cardiff South and Penarth—it is important to make sure that languages are covered in the provision and people aren't excluded by the language they speak. I appreciate this is a very difficult area to work with, because sometimes you're talking very few people, but there does need to be better delivery of translation and translation services in the mental health field, so that people don't get excluded by the lack of an adequate translator to be there at the point of need and in the community.

And if I could end on the final point as well, I do think that one of the things that would help GPs in particular deliver a better service is especially around talking therapies, because this is another area that I have a personal interest in. I do regret that very often people get treated medically through a drug or some other form, when talking therapies can be so helpful to people and actually keep them away from the acute sector, if they access the talking therapy in a timely manner. And there is no national register available for professionals—therapists or counsellors—to be on. There are many recognised bodies that give accreditation, but if you're a GP, for example, there is no national register there that you can access and signpost someone to, to access that support via talking therapies. I do think that's an anomaly in the system that—and I might stand to be corrected—could be rectified relatively simply by putting that in place. So, I do hope that the Minister might engage in that point as well in his address back to the Assembly today. But I do welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate, and in particular the spirit the debate has been taken in, because when one in four of us will have an episode of mental ill health through our lifetime, it is incumbent on us as legislators that when we pass legislation it delivers, and when a problem presents itself we address it.