I'm pleased to have an opportunity to contribute to this debate this afternoon and I'm grateful to Luke Fletcher for leading the debate. I'm pleased to join Members in all parts of the Chamber calling on the Welsh Government to help to support people living with dementia more effectively. At the moment, it's estimated that some 1,300 people are living with dementia in Preseli Pembrokeshire, and whilst those people live in the community, many of them feel that they aren't part of that community. Many people aren't confident enough to leave their homes and to engage in their locality, so there's a very real problem here, and that's why it's so important that Governments at all levels as well as local communities engage better with those living with dementia.

Indeed, as a society, each and every one of us has a responsibility to help to create a community where current services are more inclusive of people with dementia. In my constituency, there are memory cafes in places such as Milford Haven and Fishguard, which provide a friendly and supportive environment where people can meet, talk and learn more about dementia and access information about the support available. This is the kind of initiative that we must promote throughout Wales. It's crucial that Governments at all levels empower community activity and collaborate more effectively to promote awareness of dementia in our communities by promoting awareness in every shop and business, so that staff and volunteers can better understand dementia. This will certainly help customers living with dementia to feel more confident when they're out and about in the community.

I'm sure that Members are familiar with the dementia-friendly communities initiative, which aims at creating communities across the UK that are more friendly to those living with dementia, and more accessible to those living with dementia. This can be anything from being more patient with a customer as he or she pays, or communicating more clearly over the phone, and this makes a huge difference to people living with dementia. I'm pleased to see places like Solva and Haverfordwest as being registered as dementia-friendly communities, and it's encouraging to see organisations such as Dyfed-Powys police and the fire and rescue service in mid and west Wales also being promoted as being dementia friendly.

I'm aware from previous discussions that the Welsh Government is supportive of the dementia-friendly communities. But perhaps in responding to the debate, the Deputy Minister could give us an update on what outcomes have been achieved since the Welsh Government gave its support to this campaign. I appreciate that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to dementia, because people are affected in different ways, and also what works in urban areas won't necessarily work in more rural areas.

We know that there are challenges in providing appropriate support and care to those living with dementia, particularly in the rural communities that I represent. We saw a report on people's experiences of living with dementia published back in 2017 that said there were specific challenges in relation to transport, general awareness of dementia, and access to Welsh-medium support. However, I can't see any specific steps that have been taken to tackle some of these challenges, and perhaps, once again, the Deputy Minister will take this opportunity today to note what support is being provided to those living with dementia in rural areas, and also those who want to access services through the medium of Welsh.

Now, there are also challenges facing carers of those with dementia. We know that it has a destructive impact on personal relationships and family relationships, and for some carers, living with dementia can be very difficult, and can lead to problems with depression and anxiety. In July, the Carers Trust published a series of recommendations for Welsh Government to help people to have a life alongside being carers, which looked at respite care. I would be grateful if the Minister would give her assessment of that piece of work, and how that has actually fed into the ministerial advisory group for carers delivery plan, which is expected to be published in the autumn.

So, in conclusion, Deputy Presiding Officer, there are some excellent examples of local initiatives that have been established by a number of groups in supporting and improving the lives of those living with dementia in Wales, and we need to disseminate that good practice. I encourage Members to support this motion this afternoon. Thank you.