5. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services: The Loneliness and Isolation Strategy

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:24 pm on 11 February 2020.

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Photo of Julie Morgan Julie Morgan Labour 4:24, 11 February 2020

Thank you very much and thank you for your support for the strategy. Certainly, the impact on health you clearly recognised—as bad as smoking cigarettes. I mean, it's very stark, and I'm very pleased that you welcome the steps.

In terms of young people aged 16 to 24, I think it's absolutely crucial that we do work to help identify those young people, and so, I would certainly see us working with the further education colleges and the universities. I think it's also very important the fact that we have a re-launched youth service and increased funding that the Government has given to the youth service. Because I think the youth service is an area where young people can lose the feeling of isolation, and I think youth workers, with their particular skills, are able to work very closely with young people and to address these issues. So, I think the youth service is very important, and I'm very pleased the Government has been able to increase the funding for the youth service.

Housing, yes, I have had a meeting with many Government Ministers, actually, about this strategy because it is crucial that we do see it as a whole-Government strategy and that every department needs to be involved. I went, this morning, to Newport, where I was in a complex—Pobl—where a community hub was provided along with the accommodation for apartments within the building, and also with small bungalows outside. And we were able to meet the residents and also meet the Reality Theatre who work with tackling stigma, and it was very impressive. You could see that this housing development had really included the things that people need to have good lives in terms of having somewhere to meet, somewhere where they can share experiences. So, I think housing is absolutely crucial, and we can do a lot more, I think, in terms of developing suitable housing.

Then, major cuts in local government, of course that is a huge issue and we know that many facilities have been lost, but we have been able to provide some funding, through the ICF, for local hubs, and I think they are certainly developing in a way that does provide support for people in the community. And £1.4 million is a 'dent', as you said, compared to what is needed, but what we are saying, really, is that this strategy is for every department and for all the spending that happens. And all the spending and all the initiatives that take place, we want to be sure that loneliness and isolation is part of that spending. So, the £1.4 million is to provide for some experimental small projects, which we will obviously evaluate in this new advisory group. I mean, the new advisory group will have external people on it who will bring some expertise of working in the field, and I think we will have to see how that group develops.