I'll avoid any political agenda here, because I think Laura really raised this question of the importance of the mental health agenda. I'm pleased to speak in this debate as chair of the cross-party group on mental health. We've often heard the words, 'One in four of us in the UK will experience a mental health condition.' This year, more than any other, these words need revision, as many more people will suffer with mental health as a consequence of the actions taken to control the spread of coronavirus. So, surely now must be a point in time in which we recognise the essential need to prioritise and ensure sufficient funding is there for meeting the needs of improving mental health and well-being.

Mind Cymru's recently published report, 'Too long to wait', looked at waiting-time figures, both pre pandemic and during it, for access to psychological therapies. And they also spoke to many people who are either waiting for or had access to much-needed support. Psychological therapies can provide a safe space to talk openly without judgment. They can help us make sense of things, to better understand ourselves, or help us to resolve complicated feelings. They literally offer people a lifeline. The report showed that access to psychological therapy had exacerbated pre-existing issues, with fewer people accepted onto the waiting lists, yet more people waiting longer for support. And for 17 months up to August last year, 80 per cent of those waiting for psychological therapies had exceeded the 26-week target, and this undoubtedly has not improved, as more people have been impacted upon by the pandemic.

For the last 12 months, we have been asked to stay away from our normal support systems. We have missed our loved ones and friends in order to protect them. Improving access to specialist psychological therapies is a key commitment of the Welsh Government's 10-year 'Together for Mental Health' strategy. It's a goal that has to be restated in each of the strategies subsequent to the delivery plan and with targeted actions aimed at realising this ambition. Yet, we still have large numbers of people on waiting lists without that support and who often feel abandoned. I would hope that the Minister agrees that this ambition needs to be prioritised before the end of this Senedd term and will continue to be prioritised by the next Welsh Government.

Over the next Senedd term, we must reduce the current 26-week target figure. We must work with Health Education and Improvement Wales to ensure there exists a strong recruitment and training programme to increase the number of therapists available, and we must ensure that mental health is considered as important as physical health. Minister, I look forward to your response on taking forward the agenda to help the people who desperately need that support.