These last 18 months have been incredibly tough for everyone, but for no-one more so than people living with dementia. The loss of routine, changes to support, uncertainty and the restrictions on care home visiting have made a challenging situation even more difficult. That's why I was pleased, last week, on World Alzheimer's Day, to be able to launch the 'Dementia action plan: strengthening provision in response to COVID-19' document. This document was developed with our partners to supplement the 'Dementia Action Plan for Wales', and reflects the priorities that came to the fore during the pandemic.

Several of these priorities align with the focus of the debate today, for instance, equity of access and evidence-based approaches, research and development and learning and development. We will be reporting against our progress as part of our update against the action plan. Colleagues will know that our dementia action plan was co-produced with people living with dementia, and likewise, our recovery plan was co-produced with members of our dementia, delivery and oversight board, which includes those living with dementia as well as third sector partners, and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in this vital work.

This motion before us today recognises the crucial role played by unpaid carers in the pandemic; I couldn't agree more. Welsh Government's new strategy for unpaid carers, launched by my colleague Julie Morgan on 23 March, reaffirms our commitment to support all unpaid carers in Wales to have a life alongside caring. This work has never been more important. Work is ongoing with members of the carers ministerial advisory group and carers engagement group to develop a detailed plan to be published this autumn, and this will be accompanied by a new carers charter. We established the carers support fund during the pandemic. This is managed by Carers Trust Wales and aims to support unpaid carers with financial pressures, and I can confirm that, to date, this support has already been accessed by almost 6,000 unpaid carers. We are also allocating £3 million in this financial year to meet the anticipated spike in demand for both traditional and innovative respite services as lockdown restrictions are eased.

Luke is absolutely right to be particularly concerned about the need for an accurate dementia diagnosis. Again, I couldn't agree more. I know from my own personal family experience just how vital getting prompt, accurate diagnosis is if families are to access the support they need. This, for me, is also a fundamental rights issue. We wouldn't just tell a cancer patient that they have cancer without telling them what sort they have, and the same should absolutely apply to those living with dementia.

The companion document I referred to earlier confirms that timely diagnosis remains a priority area for action. Digital Health and Care Wales and Improvement Cymru will be developing their ability to report on diagnosis rates monthly in order to support the improvement required in this area. Last year, we issued a circular to health boards in Wales requesting memory assessment and primary care services to record a person's dementia diagnosis against agreed Read codes to enable the provision of accurate information, and we'll be working with stakeholders this year to further embed this. These Read codes support the recording of different sub-types of dementia, including Lewy body dementia.

In the autumn, I'll be providing an update on progress against the actions within the dementia action plan. I'll provide further information on what support is offered to families, and more information about how funding is made available to RPBs and how that is utilised. I'll also update Members on how people are supported to access services in their preferred language, as I recognise that, for people who are vulnerable, this is a fundamental matter of need and not of choice.

In response to Jane's comments on the dementia action plan, can I confirm that the plan was always to have a new plan, but the current plan is subject to evaluation? That's currently being—. It was slightly delayed, but the field work is now about to take place, and that evaluation will inform our new plan going forward. And just to say to Altaf Hussain as well, in relation to alcohol-related brain damage, that we've consulted on that and I'll be publishing a new framework on that very shortly.

Turning to research and development, this has a key role in improving dementia care, and I think we have a good story to tell here in Wales on that. Cardiff University is one of six UK universities leading research as part of the UK Dementia Research Institute. The university is leading a major initiative that aims to help researchers worldwide to explore the risk factors that contribute to Alzheimer's. There are also project-level funding opportunities already available through the National Institute for Health Research programmes, in which Welsh Government invests, and we are taking a national and collaborative approach in Wales, offering FDG PET scanning with the aim of increasing the effective and timely diagnosis of dementia. This follows a successful pilot in Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and, as a result, the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee has now commissioned FDG PET scans for dementia nationally.

Anyone living with dementia and their carers have the right to ask for an assessment. A personalised plan that addresses the issues that matter to the individual is a vital part of anyone's dementia journey. We will continue to develop our approach and learn from the good practice across Wales, for instance the Rainbow Centre in Penley, which has been recognised by the 2020 accolades and demonstrates the vital importance of listening to people living with dementia.

We have also recently published a new 'All Wales Dementia Care Pathway of Standards'. This promotes a whole-system integrated care approach, and we've made it clear that all projects in receipt of dementia action plan integrated care fund funding will need to align with the new standards. This includes a specific work stream focusing on developing data items for reporting and assurance. The work being undertaken to develop these data items is vital and will play an important role in shaping dementia services in the future, so I do recognise the Member's call for a national dementia data observatory and where it is coming from.

I hope that through the work I have outlined and by strengthening our links with academia, we can achieve the same outcomes. Certainly, from my perspective, this is entirely in line with our current policy intent. The data we establish on dementia assessment and support will be reported nationally and will be exposed to the same level of scrutiny as other NHS quality and performance data. Working with our knowledge and analytical services, this operational data will also be supported by ongoing monitoring of published research and evidence, and we'll continue to engage routinely with our royal colleges and clinicians, who play a key role in promoting the latest evidence to inform policy. So, I hope the Member will recognise that, although we may differ slightly on how to get there, we are both pursuing the same ends.

I hope too that he will accept my assurance, both as Deputy Minister and as someone who has also been a champion of those living with dementia in this Senedd, that I am committed to delivering this at pace. I'm absolutely determined to improve care and support for those living with dementia and their families in Wales, and I look forward to working with you, Luke Fletcher, and other Members across the Chamber, to deliver this agenda across Wales. Diolch yn fawr.