6. What discussions has the Minister had with the Minister for Health and Social Services about improving joint working between the housing and health sectors? OAQ54498

I meet regularly with the Minister for Health and Social Services to discuss housing, health and social care. Joint working between housing and health is essential to delivering 'A Healthier Wales'.

Thank you, Minister. I'm sure I'm not alone in this Chamber in finding that the constituents who come to see me with housing problems almost invariably have health issues, usually mental health issues as well. It is therefore absolutely vital that health boards proactively work with housing providers to meet the needs of the communities. In my experience, that work can be patchy and is not sufficiently focused on early intervention. Will you discuss this with the health Minister to try to make sure that all health boards are proactively supporting the housing needs of communities?

Yes, I'm very happy to undertake to do that. It's something we do do regularly already. Lynne Neagle will know that we've recently facilitated improved joint working between health and housing by making representatives of the housing sector statutory members of the regional partnership boards. So, that's just gone into effect. It's early days for that but we're working very hard to make sure that that starts to work. And also we have the integrated care fund, which my colleague Rebecca Evans introduced when she was housing Minister, which is now coming into its own, really. We're seeing really innovative proposals coming forward to do exactly that—to take a preventative approach to the housing and health combined needs of the community and to make sure that we have the facilities available to take that forward. But I'm very happy to undertake an ongoing relationship with the health Minister, and, actually, with the Deputy Minister as well. We have discussion about the social care aspects of that on a regular basis. 

Thank you. And, finally, question 7, to be answered by the Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government. Bethan Sayed.