Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 2:38 pm on 29 September 2021.

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Photo of Lynne Neagle Lynne Neagle Labour 2:38, 29 September 2021

Thank you. What you ask is a very complex question, because, as I said when we discussed this earlier in the week, these things are all about balance of harms, aren't they? And as much as it harms children not to be in school, it also harms children if COVID rates are really high and lots of family members get affected. So, all these things are about weighing up a balance of harms. We have invested huge sums of money in support for children and young people throughout the pandemic in terms of well-being support through schools, our emotional and mental health well-being toolkit, additional funding for school counselling, and initiatives like that, to make sure that the support is there. But we also have to recognise that we all have a role to play in keeping infections low, so that children and young people can stay in school. At the moment, obviously, they're back in school, and that is great and good for them, and that's what I want to see continued. And as we go forward through the autumn, just to assure you that mental health will continue to be a central consideration for this Government, just as it has been from the very start of the pandemic, and no more so than when it relates to the mental health of children and young people, which is absolutely my top priority, and has been for years.