1. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of how the coronavirus pandemic has adversely affected mental health in Wales? OQ56125

Diolch, Jack. We continue to monitor the impact of the pandemic on mental health and well-being through a range of surveys and other evidence. Overall, levels of anxiety remain higher than pre-pandemic levels due to a range of concerns, including personal health, the health of loved ones, and of course finances.

Diolch, Minister, for that answer. One of my constituents today talked openly in The Leader newspaper about the impact of being excluded from the UK Government's financial support, and the effect that is having on people's mental health. I was also contacted by a business owner before the current lockdown, who told me of customers who were openly talking about ending their lives. And, as a fellow sufferer, someone with poor mental health, I really recognise these signs and feel strongly about this issue. Llywydd, we often talk incorrectly about one in four people having mental health problems; I think this vastly underplays reality. The old ways of reaching out aren't working. Hard-to-reach groups will clearly pay the price. Not only must we do more, we must do better. So, Minister, on that basis, how can you as a Welsh Government reach out better?

Diolch, Jack, and I'm really sorry to hear about your constituents. They are not on their own. I am really concerned about the pressure people are under. Anxiety levels have certainly increased. People are feeling very isolated, they're lonely, they're very concerned about losing their jobs, and a lot of people are concerned about family members. And, of course, we are concerned that we may see an increase in suicide rates, which is why, right at the outset of the pandemic, we commissioned the NHS delivery unit to work with Public Health Wales, and we asked Professor Ann John to chair a national advisory group to review deaths by suicide.

Now, obviously, what we want to do is to put measures in place to stop that from happening in the first place. I've just come off a call with Time to Change Wales, and you're familiar with that, Jack, because I know you were instrumental in asking me to make sure that we continue our funding to that organisation at a time when England stopped theirs. And I think that was a huge mistake, to stop people from talking about mental health issues in the middle of a pandemic, or to stop funding an organisation that encouraged that to happen.

It's absolutely clear that there are some groups that are more reluctant to reach out for help than others. We're particularly concerned about the black, Asian and minority ethnic community, which is why one of the things we've done is we've given additional support to Diverse Cymru, so that they can reach out and reach out to the communities that they're in touch with. But the other group that I'm particularly concerned about is middle-aged men, and that is a real problem that we have, which is why it's really important that we support groups like Men's Sheds, and it's really interesting to see that a lot of those now have recognised the importance of their work and are continuing their work online, and I'd like to encourage that to continue.

Minister, you will no doubt be aware that my constituency of Aberconwy sits within the Conwy County Borough, and that we have the highest percentage of old people aged 65 plus in Wales. We also have a number of 80 to 90-year-olds who have been shielding since last March, facing life like never before, living indoors, struggling with loneliness, fear and anxiety. I am reliably informed by those in medical practice here that treatment for mental health issues has exacerbated greatly amongst this age group and that this needs to be addressed quickly to avoid long-term life-threatening consequences. This has increased further as a result of the most current and recent lockdown as a result of a more highly infectious virus now in circulation. Our single biggest weapon providing assurance to these individuals is a quick vaccination process, however, that is not happening here. Worse still is the fact that these people have received no information whatsoever and their anxiety is increasing. Yesterday, the health Minister did promise in the Senedd that, within a week or so, seven out of 10 of those aged 80 years and older would be receiving their vaccination. Can you confirm to me today that this will indeed be the case, and that our most elderly and vulnerable with mental health issues will receive their vaccine within these timescales? Diolch, Llywydd.

Thanks very much, Janet, and we're particularly concerned about older people who are living in isolation, who've been on their own for a long time now, who are fearful of going out even to the shops, and we're very concerned about these people, which is why we have put some projects in place to make sure that we can stand by these people. So, one of the projects we've put in place is called Friend in Need, and we've got Age Cymru to help us out with that. So, I would encourage you to ask your constituents to link up with that scheme if they need some mental health support.

But we have given significant additional financial support to Betsi Cadwaladr, and in addition to that, we've just increased the mental health budget by £42 million. So, if you look at how much we spend on mental health now, it's about £783 million, so the key thing now is to make sure that that money gets to the right people. And I think it's that low-level intervention; it's not the kind of—. We need to get to the mass numbers now, which is why we need to increase—and we have increased—the tier 0 support.

Of course people are concerned about the vaccine and you've just heard the health Minister explain what the programme is in relation to the vaccine. My understanding is that Betsi Cadwaladr was ahead of lots of other parts of Wales in relation to the roll-out of the vaccine. I would listen to the assurances that have come from the health Minister in terms of those targets that have been set out.

Minister, while I understand that the collation of suicide figures is often subject to a lapse of time due to the need for investigation and inquests, I would draw your attention to the comments of the north Wales coroner, John Gittins, in December, who presided over seven suicide cases from the summer in the same week. He noted the effects of lockdown as a contributory factor in all of those cases. It seems to me that continued lockdown, a climate of fear, and the effects of winter can only be causes for deep concern. Can you outline what additional support is available for those who are really struggling?

Thanks very much. We're very aware that we need to keep an eye on this, which is why we're not waiting until we get the inquests from the coroners, which can take up to a year. We need to get a better real-time sense of what's going on on the ground, which is why we're working with the police. We've got a range of services working together to make sure that we analyse the real-time data and put measures in place. One of the things that we're very anxious to make sure of is that the support for people who are contemplating suicide is in place. That's why we've got a 'Talk to me 2' programme, and one of the features within that programme is making sure that those people who've been bereaved, who may be feeling very low at the moment, are getting the support that they need, because it's very difficult for them to mourn in a normal way at the moment. We're making sure that that support is in place. I would encourage your constituents to get in touch, first of all, with the CALL mental health helpline, and they will then be able to direct your constituents to the most appropriate level of support.