Thank you, acting Deputy Presiding Officer, for the opportunity to make a brief contribution in this important and very welcome debate. I think it's an excellent innovation, one I hope we can continue, and I very much hope that the Welsh Government will be listening carefully and taking very seriously the points of Members. 

I recognise that the pandemic has been an extremely challenging time for the Welsh Government to make budget decisions. We know that budgets are under immense pressure and I think it's understandable that Governments have wanted to make quick decisions to get money out of the door to make a difference. But that doesn't always mean that those are the right decisions.

One such decision I'd like to pick up on today, and highlight as a future spending priority, is the £7 million that was removed from the mental health transformation fund, which I've raised concerns about previously in the Chamber. And there has been, I think, a fairly worrying lack of transparency about what has become of that money. Now, I know that some of it was allocated to staff mental health because of the COVID crisis, and that, of course, is entirely right—that we should look to support the mental health of our staff who've been on the front line in this crisis. But as I've said before, I feel strongly that that money should have been additional money, and not removed from a vital transformation fund.

Now, Members know that I've been very involved in campaigning for improvements to children's mental health services in Wales for the last few years, and I can tell Members that there is a very long way to go in terms of getting the improvements that we need. Now, that fund, as well as being for children, was also for adults, and I can tell Members that, actually, I think the situation in relation to adults is much worse, and there is an even more pressing need for continued investment in that area. Welsh Government talks a lot about the need for there to be parity between mental and physical health, but as far as I'm concerned, we are a very long way from that point in Wales.

I would have made those points before a global health pandemic, but the fact that we've had this pandemic makes those points even more pressing. This is a pandemic that has impacted all our mental health—we've all experienced anxiety, fear and trauma—but for some people, this pandemic will lead to lasting mental health problems. We've had people who have been shielding and not seen a soul for many months. We've had people who've experienced bereavement in the most abnormal of situations, where they've been unable to hold the hand of those they love. And, of course, we've got a recession coming down the track towards us, and we all know the links between economic recessions and poor mental health, and even suicide. So, I think there has never been a more important time to invest in mental health services. It really is time now, I think, for the Government to put their money where their mouth is in terms of saying there should be parity between mental health and physical health. And, Minister, a first, good start for me would be putting that £7 million back in the mental health transformation fund.

I wanted to make two other points about principles that should inform the budget. I think inequality is one of them. The pandemic has been one that entrenches disadvantage. We've seen that in those who die—almost double the deaths in more deprived communities. We've seen it in the impact on those who've suffered the most, in terms of children who've struggled in poorer families to access their learning because of lack of digital resources, and even the people who've been able to stay safe by working from home. It is vital that the budget recognises that, and I wholeheartedly endorse Mike Hedges's comment—there is no more important strategic investment we can make than in the education of our young people. Has there ever been a time when that investment for our young people has been more important when the future looks so bleak?

And just finally, then, in terms of inequality, I'd like to highlight, again, the issues of health funding. I spent my early years in this Assembly campaigning for a needs-based NHS allocation formula. In the end, the Welsh Government came with up the Townsend formula, which was meant to allocate resources to the communities most in need of health spending. That formula has never been properly implemented. I think now is the time for Welsh Government to really look at how those spending decisions you take are actually implementing on our most disadvantaged communities. I can tell you that as far as Torfaen in concerned, we feel we've waited long enough. Thank you.