2. Will the Minister make a statement on the impact of the national lockdown on the mental health and well-being of people in mid Wales? OQ55773

We are monitoring the impact of the pandemic on mental health and well-being through a range of surveys and other evidence. On 9 October, I issued a detailed written statement setting out the actions we are taking to respond to the mental health-related effects of the pandemic.

Thank you for your answer, Minister. I also noted the funding that you announced this morning. I read the Welsh Government press release in regards to an additional £3 million of funding. I'd like to think that perhaps my question submitted last week, and asked today, helped prompt that funding announcement. Can I ask how, Minister, you've reached that figure of £3 million? Do you think—? Have you got evidence that you can provide to ensure that this is an adequate amount for the increased demand for mental health services, for those directly and, indeed, indirectly impacted by the pandemic? I'm particularly concerned about people who live in the most rural parts of Wales, and I wonder how, Minister, you will ensure that any extra support and grant funding reach those in the most isolated parts of Wales, including those third sector and charitable organisations that do an excellent job in providing mental health support in these particular areas.

Diolch, Russell. Just to make it clear that any funding that we're announcing now is on top of the annual amount of £700 million that we spend. We must not lose sight of that. We spend more money on mental health than on any other aspect in the NHS, and so this funding is additional to what was already in place. And the funding I've announced today is on top of the funding that we've announced previously during this pandemic. You'll be aware that we already have suggested that we're going to spend more money on tier 0 and tier 1 support, because those are the low-level interventions that save you the money later on. And so that's what this additional funding that we've put in place today—that's some of it. In fact, most of it will be spent on that low-level intervention. You're quite right: that will be available to organisations in Powys and elsewhere. You'll be aware that the person leading on this is the chief executive of the health board in Powys, with whom I had a meeting last week, because she is the lead on mental health for the whole of Wales, and you can be assured that the concerns of rural communities are very much at the forefront of her concerns.

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Ann Jones) took the Chair.

Thank you, Minister.