Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I really enjoyed that question.

3. What mental health support does the Commission provide to its staff? OQ57794

I thank the Member for the question. The Senedd Commission continues to make mental health and well-being a priority. This has been well evidenced during the challenging time of the pandemic. The Commission has a long-established on-site occupational health professional and an employee assistance programme, which can provide counselling and a range of services that can be accessed 24/7. The Commission has also an established mental health network that offers peer support and guidance, weekly contact meetings and a number of trained mental health first aiders.

All services and support provided continue to be accessible both in person and online, including a bespoke mental well-being page to assist the transition to working from home and dealing with the day-to-day anxieties brought on by the pandemic, and they're also accessible to Members and staff alike.

Thank you for that comprehensive response. I know that many people—

Sorry, is it working?

I know that many people working for the Commission are working very hard to support people who need this support. Unfortunately, as you've said, the pandemic has exacerbated mental health problems for many people, and left some in crisis. The employee assistance programme has been a huge help for many, but the service is not always enough. Some call the service once, but don't follow up, while others don't call at all, because they're anxious about discussing difficult issues over the phone. I'd like to know whether the Commission could consider providing an internal counselling service to run alongside the EAP, so that staff who need specialist support for mental health issues, stress, fatigue, and even bullying, could seek specialist support immediately. Would this be something that the Commission could consider, please, not only for Members' support staff but for everyone working at our Senedd?

I hear clearly what you're saying, and I was there at the decision to set it up in this way. One of the reasons for it being set up externally rather than internally was because individuals were saying at that time that they would prefer an arm's-length counselling service, so that if they—. They felt more comfortable, is what we were being told at the time. But if evidence has changed and people feel that they're more comfortable having something internally, then of course we would look at it. But it's about the stigma. That was the reason that people preferred this being set up in the way that it has been set up, and also to recognise, in some cases, of course, that some of those allegations may be against colleagues and people working close to them. So, it might be a case of maybe mixing it a bit, but, of course, the occupational support that is on-site, I think, was designed to do that. But, as always, we're more than pleased to have conversations; I'm more than happy to have a conversation with you and others to see if we can improve it, because that's essentially what we want to do.

Question 4 is to be answered by Rhun ap Iorwerth. Jack Sargeant.