Health inequality is not new in Wales, though the pandemic has highlighted this inequality and exacerbated the situation for many constituents living in my region, reflected in the high level of deaths from COVID in Rhondda Cynon Taf. It has not created this inequality, and it is clear that more should have been done long before the pandemic to tackle this.

Obviously, austerity has not helped either. Research shows that austerity measures, which include reducing social spending and increasing taxation, hurt deprived groups the most. They increase the risk of unemployment, poverty, homelessness and other socioeconomic risk factors, while cutting effective social protection programmes that mitigate risks to health.

Austerity also has consequences for health and health services. It impacts most on those already vulnerable, such as those with precarious employment or housing, or with existing health problems. It is associated with worsening mental health and, as a consequence, an increase in suicides. Yet, this is not an inevitable consequence at a time of economic crisis, as evidenced from the research into those fortunate to live in countries with strong social protection systems, such as Iceland and Germany.

In 2015 the UK experienced the largest annual rise in the mortality rate for 50 years, and the number of deaths in the UK has been rising since 2011, apart from a recovery in 2014, after a steady decline from the late 1970s onwards, and this rise has been particularly large amongst the elderly. Austerity measures, rather than economic hardship per se, appear to have played a role in this rising death rate. Analysis that examines changing patterns across local areas finds that cuts to social care and financial support to elderly pensioners are associated with the rise in mortality among those aged 85 years and over.

As I know from my personal experience in supporting communities still impacted by the devastating floods of 2020 as a result of storm Dennis, extreme weather and flooding are also likely to disproportionately affect those on low incomes, those with fewer resources to prepare, respond and recover from floods or other extreme weather events, and those less likely to be fully insured against damages to property from such extreme weather events. Damp mould in properties as a result of flooding poses a significant risk to health. However, many of those on low incomes simply cannot afford to fix the problem, meaning many continue to face significant risks to their health, due to the ongoing and worsening effects of climate change.

As one of the Senedd's clean air clean champions, I also want to highlight the issue of air quality and how this also disproportionately affects those on low incomes. It's worth bearing in mind that it's children in low-income households that are worst affected by air-quality issues. Air pollutant concentrations are currently higher in areas of socioeconomic disadvantage, meaning that those on low incomes tend to be worst affected by health problems related to poor air quality. We've heard from other contributions already the gap and difference in life expectancy with the least and most deprived areas in Wales, with 8.9 years for males and 7.4 years for females. And further, the proportion of total deaths in 2019 that were avoidable in Wales continued to be substantially larger in the most deprived areas, compared with the least deprived areas. Cwm Taf has the lowest healthy life expectancy at 61.2 for men and 62.6 for women, compared with 67.6 for men and 69.2 for women in the Betsi Cadwaladr area. That is a stark difference of between six and seven years of healthy life for constituents living in the region that I represent. 

We can do more, we need to do more to end health inequality in Wales, and what we are proposing today is bringing together a plan to tackle health inequality. I hope Members from across the Chamber will support our motion.