The following amendments have been selected: amendment 1 in the name of Lesley Griffiths, and amendment 2 in the name of Darren Millar. If amendment 1 is agreed, amendment 2 will be deselected.

Item 7 today is the Plaid Cymru debate on alcohol-related harm. I call on Peredur Owen Griffiths to move the motion. 

Motion NDM7996 Siân Gwenllian

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes that there were 438 alcohol-related deaths in Wales in 2020: the highest level in 20 years, and a 19 per cent increase from 2019.

2. Regrets the rising number of alcohol-related deaths, alcohol-related hospital admissions, and cases of alcohol dependency in Wales that disproportionately affect those at socio-economic disadvantage.

3. Notes the Welsh Government’s Substance Misuse Delivery Plan 2019-2022.

4. Calls upon the Welsh Government to provide a stronger commitment, enhanced resources and measurable targets to combat alcohol-related harm within a renewed substance misuse delivery plan from 2023.

Motion moved.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Pubs have been part of the fabric of community life in Wales for centuries. The industrial revolution saw an increase in licensed premises, with many social clubs springing up in the new communities that were created to house the workers that were part of this population boom in Wales. These venues were a place where people could go after a gruelling shift to quench their thirst. They also provided a meeting place for the community to come together and organise. Since my election, I've been providing support to a community group within the region seeking to reopen a pub that has lain dormant for some time. I recognise the huge boost this would provide for this particular community. 

Before the industrial revolution, we know that alcohol was part of life for many centuries. It is true to say that most people who drink alcohol have no problem at all. They can enjoy a few pints or a glass of wine responsibly, they can stay within the recommended units of alcohol per week, they may even go weeks or even months without an alcoholic drink. This debate is not about condemning or discouraging moderate drinking, it's about ensuring that help is there for those who simply cannot take it or leave it. Most of us will know or have known someone with a drink problem, whether they are friends or family. 

The statistics at our disposal underline the pervasiveness of alcohol abuse in our country. In 2018, there were 54,900 alcohol-related hospital admissions and 14,600 alcohol-specific admissions in Wales. More than a quarter of adults who drink alcohol are drinking more often since lockdown. Perhaps most damaging of all is that, in 2020, despite various policies and actions from the Welsh Government, we reached the highest number of alcohol-related deaths in 20 years. These numbers are stark and they are horrific. We must never forget that behind these statistics are ruined lives and lives cut short, causing untold misery for the alcohol abuser, their family and their wider friends and community. 

Family members of alcoholics may experience mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and shame due to their loved one's addictions. There is also the risk that they may be the victim of drunken outbursts. For an estimated 200,000 adults in Wales, alcohol led to greater tension or conflict during lockdown, and more than one in 13 people said that their own or someone else's drinking had made the tension in their households worse since lockdown. This figure is even higher in households with children.

As well as a considerable human cost, there is also the financial cost that alcohol has on our local services, our NHS and the criminal justice system. It impacts on absolutely everyone. In 2015, it was thought that alcohol misuse was costing the NHS in Wales more than £109 million a year, a figure that is likely to have grown higher since. We acknowledge that the Welsh Government has a substance misuse delivery plan for 2019-22, but we believe that more must be done to effectively tackle the growing issue of alcohol misuse in Wales. This must be done in a progressive, not punitive, manner.

The Llywydd took the Chair.

The picture has changed since this plan was drawn up. The Government has an opportunity to react to the increased threat that alcohol abuse is posing to our communities. We need enhanced resources and measurable targets to combat alcohol-related harms within the Government's substance misuse delivery plan from 2023. The status quo just isn't working. That much, I hope, everyone can agree. I move the motion. Diolch yn fawr. 

I have selected the two amendments to the motion. If amendment 1 is agreed, amendment 2 will be deselected. I call, therefore, on the Deputy Minister to formally move amendment 1, tabled in the name of Lesley Griffiths. 

Amendment 1—Lesley Griffiths

Delete all and replace with:

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Acknowledges that there were 438 alcohol specific deaths in Wales in 2020: the highest level in 20 years, a 19 per cent increase from 2019.

2. Notes the levels of alcohol related hospital admissions and the disproportionate impact of alcohol on deprived communities.

3. Notes the Welsh Government’s Substance Misuse Delivery Plan 2019-2022.

4. Welcomes the Welsh Government’s continued commitment to substance misuse by protecting and ring-fencing its funding in the budget, the £9 million increase in funding for 2022/23 and a commitment to further increases in 2023/24 and 2024/25.

Amendment 1 moved.

Formally.

I now call on James Evans to move amendment 2, tabled in the name of Darren Millar. 

Amendment 2—Darren Millar

Add as new point after point 1 and renumber accordingly:

Is concerned that the number of treatments started for substance misuse in Wales has decreased by 15 per cent in the last five years.

Amendment 2 moved.

Diolch, Llywydd. I move the amendment tabled in the name of my colleague Darren Millar.

I'm extremely grateful for Plaid Cymru bringing forward this important debate on a pressing issue that we all face here in Wales. The last contribution was very powerful and I thank you for that contribution. This debate on alcohol-related deaths highlights the number of alcohol-related deaths in Wales. It is at its highest level for 20 years, with a 19 per cent increase from 2019 and the pandemic only made things worse. It is simply not good enough. Too many people are losing their lives unnecessarily due to alcohol abuse. 

Cases of alcohol dependency in Wales disproportionately affect those from poorer communities, and the Welsh Government, along with the UK Government, must do more to help those people in our poorer communities, and provide a stronger commitment, enhanced resources and measurable targets to combat alcohol-related harm here in Wales. I'm deeply concerned by the figures from the patient episode database from 2019-20, which showed that there were nearly 14,749 hospital admissions with an alcohol-specific condition. This is an absolutely staggering figure that should shock everybody in this Chamber, and it just shows how much alcohol abuse is putting pressure on our NHS at a time when it can take no more. 

Furthermore, it is estimated that alcohol is a factor in nearly 49 per cent of all violent crimes in Wales, compared with 39 per cent in England, and that 18 per cent of Welsh adults reported drinking over the weekly guidelines. Having a couple of glasses of wine may be okay, but for some people, it's not enough. Some people cannot handle their alcohol, and this feeds into domestic violence cases and extreme violence cases on our streets. If we can get underneath this, we can start to tackle the wider problems in our society.

When we're aware of an issue like this, and we have the tools and the means to address the challenges people face, we have a duty to act wherever possible, and we must work together. I am fully aware of the Welsh Government's substance misuse delivery plan. We've discussed this in this Chamber before, but we must go further on that to really help people who are dependent on alcohol.

I don't wish to add much more because I think the opener of this debate has made such a great contribution. We on the Welsh Conservative benches will be supporting the Plaid Cymru motion this afternoon, because I think a progressive, forward thinking, collaborative approach to addressing substance misuse is needed. People lose too many loved ones far too soon, and I would urge all colleagues right across this Chamber, even Government members, to support this motion today to make sure we don't lose anybody before their time. Diolch, Llywydd. 

The increasing incidence of alcohol abuse is very concerning, and it's something that each and every one of us should be concerned about. It's believed that high-risk drinkers have been driving the recent increase in alcohol consumption, and that has led to the highest level of alcohol abuse in 20 years. We know of the damaging impacts of alcohol abuse on our physical health, as well as our mental health. As we've heard already, we know that lockdown in particular had an impact on how much people drink, and that in turn has had a detrimental impact on health. The British Liver Trust told me at a Love Your Liver event outside the Senedd recently—and I know that many Members had visited them there—that there had been an increase of 20 per cent in liver-related deaths that were alcohol-related during the pandemic. So, the damage has been highlighted in the number of deaths in such a brief period of time, in just two years.

Drinking heavily in the long term can also cause changes to the brain, causing cognitive problems. It can also lead to very real damage to the brain—alcohol-related brain damage, ARBD. And it is a condition that can be prevented from deteriorating if the patient can stop drinking alcohol, and with the appropriate support at the right time, then most people can make a partial recovery. But despite that, the Royal College of Psychiatrists tells us that only around 16 per cent of those who are suffering are diagnosed, because of a lack of understanding, a lack of awareness of the condition, and an inconsistent approach to treatment, because of the absence of the kind of treatment model that would be sufficient to meet demand. They are very eager to see the Welsh Government investing in and introducing an ABRD awareness package—which has been developed by the University of South Wales—and they want to see that done urgently.

Now, the relationship between alcohol and mental health is one that's well known but it's also very complex. Alcohol, of course, is sometimes used by people to try and help the symptoms of anxiety—as they see it—or the symptoms of depression. But the reality is that drinking too much will probably exacerbate those symptoms, and depression and heavy drinking are closely related, and it's a self-fulfilling relationship, which means that if one shows signs of either depression or heavy drinking, then it's likely to increase the likelihood that the individual will experience the other side of the coin too. It's a worrying correlation, and managing drinking and getting the right support is crucial for good mental health.

Now, the clear link between the lockdown and the increase in alcohol abuse figures does demonstrate how isolation and loneliness and changes in daily routine can have a detrimental impact on individuals and their state of mind. And having learnt from that experience, I do think that we do have to seek to provide support for people. And we are talking here of providing support to people to prevent self-harm. That's why we wanted, as the minimum alcohol price Bill went through the Assembly, as it was at that time, to see something in legislation that would ensure that there is funding provided as a result of that legislation and that efforts are made through that legislation to tackle alcohol abuse too. This wasn't just setting a price for the sake of setting a price; we wanted legislation in place with the intention of changing people's relationship with alcohol, and it's extremely important that those steps are taken as a result of that legislation, in order to ensure that people do understand that support is available and that they experience that support that they haven't had from Welsh Governments in the past.

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.

What is most tragic about alcohol-specific deaths, alcohol-related hospital admissions and the consequences of alcohol dependency is they are completely preventable. What is unforgivable, perhaps, is that alcohol dependency disproportionately affects people who are socioeconomically deprived. On average, people on low incomes drink less than people on higher incomes. The minimum unit pricing measure introduced by the Government is attempting to respond to the fact that affordability is a key driver of consumption. However, the most vulnerable in our society are still at most risk from harms and ill health caused by alcohol. By failing to address the causes of poverty, and failing to better support the most vulnerable in our society, we are putting too many people at risk of the dangerous consequences of alcohol dependency. The figures speak for themselves. In Wales the rate of alcohol-specific hospital admissions is 3.3 times higher in the most deprived areas. Around 45 per cent of people seeking alcohol treatment live in the 30 per cent most deprived areas, and 10 per cent of people seeking alcohol treatment have housing problems. Nearly 30 per cent of people in the UK receiving alcohol treatment report having some kind of disability. The Welsh Government needs to act with urgency to prevent further increases in these shocking figures. These figures reflect, however, deeply entrenched health inequalities in our society, inequalities that were reflected in the high death rates due to COVID within deprived communities.

The future impact of the economic storm, the cost-of-living crisis that is hitting these communities the hardest, on addiction and mental health, makes targeted action now to address those inequalities all the more critical. We need to take a holistic approach to reduce alcohol-related harms by supporting people who are most vulnerable to those harms. Poverty impacts on health. Research shows that those in poverty are more likely not only to lead an unhealthy lifestyle, but they are also harmed as a result of poor housing and stress related to their material and social circumstances. We know that poverty reduces people's resilience to disease, which, in turn, of course, makes them more vulnerable to the greater health harms of alcohol. It has been shown by multiple studies that alcohol can thus amplify and worsen the harmful effects of poverty. When alcohol and poor diet are combined, for example, the risk of alcohol-related conditions increases significantly in poorer communities.

The Westminster Government showed again in the Queen's Speech whose interests are at its heart, and it was again clear that it was not those who live in need, who deal everyday with financial stress, poor living standards, disabilities and insufficient income. If we had full devolution of welfare and taxes, for example, we could fashion and implement a compassionate benefits system, finance targeted support, rather than shrug and accept that we are at the mercy of a callous and neglectful Tory Government in Westminster. We could provide people with appropriate disability support, for example, to raise people's standards of living and help them better weather this cost-of-living crisis.

Whether or not minimum unit pricing goes some way towards addressing consumption, the inequalities that will always make some of our citizens more open to the harms of alcohol remain and are deepening. Understanding the role of social inequalities in driving alcohol harms and addressing those inequalities to prevent alcohol-related harms is of critical importance. I urge Members to support the motion.

I want to make a declaration of interest as I am a trustee of Brynawel Rehab. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate, and I thank colleagues in Plaid Cymru for bringing this important subject for debate on the floor of the Senedd.

There are many aspects of this debate with which we all agree. Alcohol-related harm, dependency and, regrettably, death are major challenges here in Wales, as they are across the United Kingdom. We are not alone in our concerns for the increasing use of alcohol as a means of coping with the challenges of everyday life. It is important to remember that alcohol-related death, and the pain this causes is, indeed, preventable, and with the increase in dependency, the effects of the COVID lockdown and the concerns over the mental well-being of the population, it is clear that we have to act with greater urgency, over the course of this Senedd term, to start to halt and reverse the trend that we have witnessed.

I am proud to be a trustee of Brynawel, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation service in south Wales working to support people who have become dependent. What we know is that there are many people throughout Wales who can live normal, functional lives, whilst at the same time maintaining a lifestyle that increasingly relies on alcohol as a key part of their social and family life. Many sustain this lifestyle before becoming physically unwell and requiring the support of acute NHS services. Many drift into dependency all too easily, and, from there, the shift ever downwards into consistent alcohol abuse becomes sadly normalised.

I would like to focus on the Welsh Government's delivery plan, as this is crucial to how this country responds to a growing challenge; at a time when we have seen a reduction in treatment numbers over the past five years, the number of alcohol-related deaths is the highest it has been for 20 years. I would like to set out a number of concerns that I have, which I hope the Government will address. 

Whilst we need to tackle the causes of the problem, and this is incredibly challenging, I want to pay tribute to all those professionals across the health and third sectors who play such an important role in supporting those with addiction. Lifestyle choices, how we live our lives, add hugely to the pressure on the NHS, whether it's drug and alcohol use, smoking or obesity. The NHS is therefore largely reactive to this increasing challenge, and I don't want to underestimate the impact on them and the services they provide. There are, of course, a range of options for us to pursue, and the NHS is not the only provider of services. 

Ensuring appropriate and efficient service provision is key, and, whilst I am encouraged to see a focus on partnerships and pathways for service users, this is not always played out in their experience of services. Partnerships between health, social care, mental health and third sector services are critical, as with other areas of our health and care system. It does not always work effectively. Pathways between specialist substance misuse and mental health services can be unclear, with many health boards unable to articulate how they provide seamless pathways for individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance misuse issues. Surely, there is a case to be made for mental health and addiction services adopting a 'no wrong door approach' to service provision.

It is also important that Wales establish a Wales-wide recovery plan for those who are now sat on lengthy waiting lists for community prescribing and in-patient detoxification. I appreciate that, as we emerge from the effects of the pandemic on the wider population, we know that services are struggling to step back up to get to where they were before March 2020. This has an impact on many people, but it is worrying that, unless we act quickly enough, the impact of our failure will fall disproportionately on those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.

Many people who succumb to alcohol dependency will, if their condition worsens, need the help of family members, who often take on a caring responsibility. I would like to know how the provision of support for carers and family members will be evidenced by services, given the relatively low number of carer assessments offered by tier 2 and tier 3 substance misuse services. It might also be useful to conduct an awareness-raising campaign for this group of people. Many family members of people with substance misuse problems do not see themselves as carers in the same way, for example, as those caring for those with dementia. They are not aware of the benefits, practical help such as carer assessments, or their rights at work in terms of flexible leave and protection from discrimination.

I would like the Minister to set out how we will both tackle the causes of the problem, including the lack of appropriate mental health support, which could reduce the chance of alcohol dependency, and examine what capacity is needed to redouble our efforts to support those who have hit rock bottom. I'll take a minute. Time is of the essence, Minister, if we are to avert a major public health and service delivery crisis.

Lastly, although the Government has published the treatment framework for those with alcohol-related brain damage, there is limited progress among the health boards. Thank you very much.

The Deputy Minister now to contribute to the debate. Lynne Neagle.

Thank you, Llywydd, and thank you to Plaid Cymru for bringing forward this important topic for debate. The Plaid Cymru motion today calls for

'stronger commitment, enhanced resources and measurable targets.'

As our amendment acknowledges, we are not complacent, but we do have a long-standing commitment to preventing and tackling the harms associated with alcohol use and a robust record of delivery.

Unlike elsewhere in the UK, we have protected and ring-fenced our funding over many years. This is further recognised by our increased investment in preventing and treating substance misuse, rising from almost £55 million last year to almost £64 million in 2022-23. As part of the Welsh Government's allocation to area planning boards to support the commissioning and delivery of local substance misuse services, we've increased both the children and young people and residential rehabilitation ring-fenced allocations by £1 million in 2022-23 to £3.75 million and £2 million respectively. Recognising an increase in demand for support, there are also plans to increase the children and young people's ring-fenced allocation in the coming two years.

In terms of targets, we have targets in place to measure referrals, access and treatment outcomes. Our record on access and treatment is encouraging, with statistics remaining above 80 per cent. In March this year, this went to just over 90 per cent. Referrals are more of a concern, which we will address, but have certainly been impacted by the pandemic. Having meaningful targets for measuring alcohol consumption is much more difficult, particularly as the data is self-reported. Instead, we need our public health messaging to help people recognise if they have a problem with alcohol and access the help we have made available as soon as possible. We know that the pandemic has disproportionately affected those with the most complex needs and vulnerabilities. We have therefore also doubled to £2 million our funding for services for people with housing and complex needs. This funding will also increase over the coming two years to a total of £4.5 million in 2024-25.

Addressing alcohol-related harms is a key part of our substance misuse agenda. The overall aim of our substance delivery plan, which was updated in response to COVID-19, is to ensure that people in Wales are aware of the dangers and the impact of substance misuse and know where they can seek information, help and support. And while we remain focused on delivering the current 2019-22 plan, we intend to explore, with a range of stakeholders this year, the need to refresh and refocus the actions for any new delivery plan post 2022. However, our engagement with stakeholders to date suggests that many of the current priorities remain relevant.

The factors behind the increase in alcohol-specific deaths are complex, and numbers will fluctuate from year to year. Every one of these deaths is a tragedy, and we absolutely recognise there is more work to be done. Deprivation is recognised as an important factor, and data from Public Health Wales shows that people from the top 10 per cent deprived areas in Wales are almost three times more likely to be admitted to hospital for alcohol-specific conditions than those from the least deprived areas. Reducing health inequalities, particularly as we emerge from the pandemic, will be a priority area of our work going forward.

We also know that finding the right job is one of the most important factors in helping people recovering from substance misuse. Our European-funded out-of-work service, which ends in August 2022, has helped over 18,000 participants recovering from substance misuse and/or mental health issues since it began in August 2016; over 46 per cent of these are recovering from substance misuse alone, or from substance misuse combined with mental ill health. Despite repeated promises that Wales will not be a penny worse off after Brexit, this funding has not been replaced by the UK Government. But we know that being in work is so important for many people's general health and well-being, providing a purpose as well as an income and can play a part in preventing both physical and mental health problems. Therefore, supporting people who are struggling in work and to get back to work is crucial. That's why this Welsh Labour Government will continue to invest in employment support services, including extending the out-of-work support service until 2025.

We recognise the vital importance of education and prevention when it comes to reducing alcohol-related harms. We're working to promote the UK chief medical officers' low-risk drinking guidelines, which aim to support people to make informed decisions about their drinking. Public messaging around minimising the health risks from alcohol were also a key part of our Help Us Help You campaign and encouraged people to reduce both the amount of alcohol they drink and how often they drink it.

Prior to the pandemic, Public Health Wales convened a national alcohol prevention partnership to develop collective priorities for reducing alcohol-related harms across Wales. This work will recommence in 2022-23, beginning with a focus on reducing the number of young people in Wales of school age who regularly drink alcohol.

We're also proud of our implementation of minimum unit pricing, which will play a key role in reducing the harms of alcohol. This is an area where we have maximised our devolved powers to take action on the World Health Organization's advice that action to reduce alcohol-related harms includes looking at affordability, accessibility and availability. The legislation came into force on 2 March 2020, and our aim is that its introduction will make an important contribution in tackling the health risks associated with excessive alcohol consumption. The intended effect of this legislation is to tackle alcohol-related harms, including alcohol-attributable hospital admissions and alcohol-specific deaths in Wales, by reducing alcohol consumption in hazardous and harmful drinkers.

Finally, our alcohol-related brain damage treatment framework is a key development. The framework is designed for health and social care providers to give guidance on how they should respond to those affected by alcohol-related damage.

So, as I have highlighted, we have shown a continued commitment to this agenda for many years, both in terms of support and finance, evidenced by the recent increase in funding of £9 million this year. But, as I said, we are not complacent. We will continue to work with partners on the prevention agenda and through supporting services to tackle the harms associated with alcohol. Over the coming year, we will also be working on our delivery plan commitment to develop a substance misuse outcomes framework, including reviewing performance indicators. Although we must recognise there are many complex factors behind these tragedies, I hope that the additional resources and focus we have provided for our services will help reduce alcohol-specific deaths in the future. I urge you all to support our Government amendment. Diolch. 

I call on Peredur Owen Griffiths now to reply to the debate.

Thank you, Llywydd, and thank you very much to everyone who's participated in the debate this afternoon. It's been an interesting debate with interesting ideas raised with regard to the way forward. We heard from—.

James was talking about enhanced measures and targets, and we need those.

Rhun spoke about the numbers and the highest level in 20 years, but that alcohol and mental health go vice versa. It's a vicious circle in that regard.

Joyce talked about advertising and the prevalence of alcohol in every aspect of life and also the increased alcohol harm in women in particular; Sioned, the tragic and often—the health inequalities causing the issues. They are deeply entrenched in our society and the most socially deprived areas are being the most affected by these. And Altaf talking about functioning alcoholics becoming unfunctioning and then the pressure on the NHS, but also making a good point around the 'no wrong door' approach to accessing help.

Diolch to the Minister for her personal commitment to moving this forward and not being complacent and the long-standing commitment there. We're aware that the Government is—now, from yourself—exploring and refreshing the post-2022 plan and I'd be very happy to work with you on those things because it's so important to so many in our society. 

This debate has demonstrated, in my view, that to tackle the problems that we've heard about today the Welsh Government must become more radical in their solutions. We have a system in place for prevention and support that isn't having yet the desired effect. Without a change of tack and some more radical policies, I feel the figures will potentially continue to rise. The Government needs to acknowledge that the policies are not quite hitting the mark and making changes accordingly, and we've heard of the refresh going forward.

With the cost-of-living crisis harming so many families and due to get worse, there's a need to act with urgency on this matter. Without change, we'll lose more lives, and more individuals, more families and more communities will continue to suffer. More funding is required to fund more extensive preventative mental health treatment therapy, as well as the treatments needed when somebody is already in the midst of alcoholism. There's a need for enhanced preventative measures that could be applied within families at higher risk of developing alcoholism. This may take the form of keeping in touch with relatives of people with known alcohol misuse disorders or to prevent the genetic and hereditary alcoholism within families. In tandem with this is the need to provide support for those with potential adverse childhood experiences. Having met again today with the 70/30 Campaign, there are definite targets that could be set around that.

As highlighted within this debate, it's vital that greater support is brought to communities at socioeconomic disadvantage that are struggling, so that no-one is left to feel without opportunity and hope. When alcohol abuse has such a big impact on our communities, it is worthy of this Senedd to have this debate here in our national Parliament. I set up the cross-party group on substance misuse and addiction to encourage more dialogue around the experiences of people who have been battling against drug addiction and alcoholism. I hope that this can be a vehicle for sharing good practice and strengthening the services we provide for people attempting to get their lives back on track. I hope that everyone in this Chamber today can support our debate, which not only seeks to strengthen and support, but also provide the resources devoted to helping people escape the clutches of alcoholism. We need to give people with a drink problem, not to mention their families, friends and communities, a hope of a better tomorrow. Diolch yn fawr.

The proposal is to agree the motion without amendment. Does any Member object? [Objection.] Yes, there is objection. Therefore, we will defer voting on that motion until voting time. 

Voting deferred until voting time.