I'm really pleased to be speaking in this debate. It's a really important topic. It has a profound impact on so many people's lives. Alcohol harm in Wales, and indeed the UK, is a significant issue. When you take a step back and look at how frequently it's pushed on us at every given opportunity by advertising, it's extremely hard to ignore. If you were to believe advertising and the hype surrounding alcohol, you'd think that we can't possibly get through life without it. We are peddled the message that we need it at sporting events, a night out or in with friends, celebrations, sad events or even day-to-day parenting. With this incessant push, it's no wonder that alcohol harm is a growing problem, especially when you consider that alcohol is one of the most addictive substances legally and readily available. Recent years have seen the growth in the so-called mummy-wine culture. This includes memes on social media, placards to hang in the home and birthday cards telling mums they need wine or gin to cope with parenting. I recently saw one that said, 'I am the reason my mummy drinks'. Yes, I know they're supposed to be funny, but I don't think that's the overriding message. What sort of message is that giving to parents and their children? There are similar messages that are targeted at dads as well, but they're not on the same scale as they are for women.

Alcohol harm amongst women has seen an increase in recent years and yet, it's not talked about enough. I think that is incredibly worrying. I'm not attributing all of that increase on the mummy-wine culture alone; those reasons are multifaceted. The impact of this increased alcohol consumption in women is having devastating consequences on their health and their well-being. Research has shown that women start to have alcohol-related health problems sooner, at lower levels of consumption than men. That is mostly down to the biological differences. These include heart disease, liver disease, breast cancer and brain damage. With this in mind, I'm keen to know that the Welsh Government is doing something specifically to target alcohol harm in women. We know that alcohol use can cause a plethora of diseases in both men and women, but where do we see the warnings on the bottles or the cans that highlight that? What you usually see is a message that says, 'Drink responsibly', whatever that might mean, and a picture of a pregnant woman with a cross through it. I'd like to see a change to this, and I'm eager to know what discussions Welsh Government is having with the alcohol industry regarding their lack of health warnings on products.

There are also confusing messages about alcohol strengths and the units, neither of which is clearly and boldly displayed on the product, and I do check quite frequently—and as many of you know,  I'm a virtual teetotaller—the strength of alcohol on products. And sometimes, you'll be lucky if you manage to find it at all. It will be there, but if you can find it, you will have searched for some time. So, I think that we have to do two things: we have to display the warnings clearly, but we have to stop the advertising—and reduce its harm—saying that you have to have a drink to get through the day. I hope some of you when you go home and watch tv will take notice of the ads, whether you're having a meal or whatever it is you're doing in life, and the number of times that you will see alcohol in every single advert. And we have the same problem, of course, in gambling, if you watch sport.

So, I think those are the messages that we have to really, really tackle, and help people not to become addicted in the very first place. It is not all right to drink too much, it is harmful, and the harms are significant. Thank you.