Diolch. I'm pleased to update Members on one of the vital areas of work that the Welsh Government is undertaking, to promote the rights and entitlements of some of the most vulnerable and often overlooked groups in our communities: people with learning disabilities, their families and carers.

Following on from our groundbreaking Improving Lives programme, which ended in March 2021, I want to draw Members' attention to the work we are now taking forward to build on the gains we have made. Whilst recognising the progress that we have made in meeting the needs and aspirations of people with a learning disability, we must also acknowledge that the pandemic has had a disproportionately damaging impact on their everyday lives. This has only highlighted the inequalities that still exist in society and the barriers to be overcome if people with a learning disability are to lead the lives they want to lead and to be recognised as valued members of society, being helped to live, work and develop as individuals, in their own communities, and close to the people who matter most to them.

I'm publishing our learning disability action plan, which demonstrates our continuing commitment to improve the services offered to people with a learning disability. I will also highlight the actions we will take to address the inequalities and disadvantages that many face every day of their lives. The action plan has, very importantly, been developed in collaboration and consultation with people with learning disabilities, the learning disability ministerial advisory group, and partners from across the public and third sectors. We also undertook a targeted six-week stakeholder engagement exercise.

The plan prioritises the key areas, actions and outcomes we want to achieve. It sets out the actions we will take to improve access to public services, including health, social care, education, employment, housing and transport. The priority areas include: reducing health inequalities and avoidable deaths; reducing the need for hospitalisation in specialist units through improved access to community-based services and crisis prevention; reducing long stays in hospitals, and in particular, reducing out of county and country placements; improving access to social care provision; supporting people to live as independently as possible through increased access to advocacy and self-advocacy skills and services, engagement and collaboration; ensuring access to education that meets the needs of individuals; providing enhanced employment opportunities and skills training; increasing appropriate housing that is close to home with integrated support services; improving the support for children, young people and their families through the development of a joined-up approach to children's services across health, social care and education, and in particular, improving how services support young people as they move towards adulthood.

In addition to the investment Welsh Government are making in areas such as employment, education and transport, I am pleased to announce that we are investing an additional £3 million over the next three years from our new social care reform fund to support delivery of the health and social care actions.

Preventative community solutions and the continued development of integrated housing, health and social care services are crucial elements to enable people with a learning disability to be supported and to live as independently as possible. The regional integration fund, launched in April, provides £144 million annually for five years to drive this much needed integrated support. We've ensured that individuals with a learning disability are one of the identified priority population groups for RIF funding.

A detailed delivery plan will be published in August and will contain the specific actions that will underpin successful delivery of these priority actions. It will be a living document and will be updated to reflect any changes to emerging priorities and circumstances. Both the strategic action plan and the delivery plan are flexible and contain actions that are realistic and achievable, given the ongoing focus on pandemic recovery, the continued unprecedented pressures on public services and limits on available resources at a national and local level.

The action plan will help deliver the Welsh Government's programme for government commitments to tackle the challenges that we face and improve the lives of people across Wales, reflecting our values of community, equality and social justice, and our stated well-being objective to celebrate diversity and eliminate inequality in all its forms. This will in turn contribute to the achievement of our national well-being goals for a prosperous, more equal Wales and cohesive communities. The plan has been developed through the application of the sustainable ways of working in the Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, in particular the priority areas that seek a preventative approach and better integration of services.

The plan also supports the ethos of the collaboration agreement between the Welsh Labour Government and Plaid Cymru, as many of the priorities identified reflect our shared goals of reducing the inequalities experienced by many of the people of Wales. In a commitment to ensuring genuine collaboration and co-production, we have worked closely with partners, including people with lived experience, to identify and agree priorities for action. I believe we have captured the most pressing needs in the plan and I would value your support for these priorities.

Our ministerial advisory group will be monitoring delivery of the plan and I will receive regular progress reports. There will also be a formal review at the end of year 2, to ensure the plan remains current and focused on the issues most important to people with learning disabilities. I will provide Members with a progress report at that time. Diolch.