Well, again, I wish to begin by extending my sincere thanks to Mabon ap Gwynfor MS for tabling this very important motion, as well as to the 15 Members who supported these important calls to address prolonged waits for cancer diagnosis and treatments. As this debate will make clear, NHS cancer waiting times for September 2021 show that 59 per cent of patients receive their first treatment within 62 days of being suspected of having cancer, and this is well below the cancer pathway target of 75 per cent.

Minister, March's quality statement for cancer was an opportunity for the Welsh Government to set out a strategy for improvements to cancer diagnoses, but it does lack further detail and accountability mechanisms. As Cancer Research UK have made clear, soon Wales will be the only UK nation without a cancer strategy, which the World Health Organization recommends that all countries have. I join with my colleagues in requesting an update on the next steps for the quality statement for cancer, and I ask that you detail what mechanisms are being considered for fast-tracking progress investment for staff, equipment and infrastructure.

Even before the pandemic, Wales was experiencing significant gaps in our workforce that diagnose and treat cancer, such as imaging, endoscopy, non-surgical, oncology and specialist nurses. These staffing gaps are resulting in concerning cases turning to my office for assistance, including instances where patients are being informed of such a life-changing cancer diagnosis simply by the telephone, rather than a personable, face-to-face discussion.

Alongside staff shortages, it is true for north Wales that the health board has to refer many patients back to England for necessary treatment. I know from assisting a constituent very recently that the process is not smooth, with delays encountered, for example, because multidisciplinary team meetings between Betsi board and the relevant English hospital sometimes only take place once a week. Devolution seems to be unnecessarily and unacceptably delaying cancer treatments. We need better cross-border and UK-wide NHS co-operation, so too that north Wales residents are not disadvantaged due to lack of specialism in the region. We know that disruption to services also risks later stage diagnoses, making it much harder to treat and worsening cancer survivals.

So, I wish to conclude by asking the Minister to use her reply to confirm whether and how the multi-year Welsh Government budget due shortly will be used as an opportunity for investment in the cancer workforce in Wales for the long term, and I strongly, strongly request that, certainly in north Wales, some action is taken on how patients are advised of such lifelong and life-changing illnesses. Thank you. Diolch.