Alcohol misuse is also a major health issue affecting individuals, families and communities, and preventing the harm caused by alcohol continues to be a priority for the Government. We are committed to ensuring that our services provide early intervention and prevention, so that longer term harms are prevented before they occur. In 2022 to 2023, we increased our investment in the substance misuse agenda to almost £64 million, of which over £36 million was allocated to area planning boards, who commission alcohol services. A further £3 million has been earmarked for area planning boards in 2023-24 as part of the draft budget. We believe the introduction of a minimum unit price for alcohol will help reduce alcohol-related harm and support people to drink responsibly. Evidence shows that introducing an MUP for alcohol will make an important contribution in tackling the health risks associated with excessive alcohol consumption and alcohol-specific deaths in Wales by reducing alcohol consumption in hazardous and harmful drinkers.

Welsh Government also remains committed to the World Health Organization elimination agenda for hepatitis B and C, which includes targets to reduce viral hepatitis incidence by 90 per cent, and to reduce mortality due to hepatitis B and C by 65 per cent by 2030. A new hepatitis B and C elimination programme oversight group has been established to drive the elimination agenda here in Wales. The group includes representation from Welsh Government, Public Health Wales, hepatitis B and C health services and the third sector. The first action of this group was to agree on the content of a communication that will set out a road map in order to reinvigorate the drive to eliminate hepatitis B and C as a public health threat by 2030. This is due to be published imminently.

In terms of our wider approach to liver disease, Welsh Government, health boards and the emerging NHS executive network structures are working closely together to drive forward implementation of the liver disease quality statement. The quality statement sets out our vision for high-quality liver disease services over the next decade. It aims to deliver better outcomes on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of liver disease here in Wales. This includes supporting a range of initiatives, some of which were put forward in point 4 of today's motion: initiatives such as continuing to highlight the significant benefits of introducing emergency department alcohol screening and seven-day alcohol care teams in secondary care to meet local need; expanding the use of the all-Wales liver blood test pathway in primary care, underpinned by the Institute of Clinical Science and Technology; funding of staff to reduce waits for non-invasive detection of chronic liver disease; funding of Love Your Liver campaigns by the British Liver Trust; improving provision for gastroenterology trainees in Wales to undertake advanced hepatology training leading to an improved pipeline of consultant hepatologists.

The liver disease implementation group are currently developing a work programme to support the implementation of the quality statement, and timescales and priorities will be considered as part of this process. In terms of the call for a doubling of hepatology staff in Wales, health boards and NHS trusts are responsible for recruitment and workforce planning, supported by Health Education and Improvement Wales and other partner organisations. We need to develop an approach to the hepatology workforce that achieves the right match between demand and supply, and we are determined to address the underlying issues of staff recruitment, retention and effective workforce planning, to ensure that we can provide the right number of healthcare staff to meet the care needs of our patients. The workforce strategy, published by HEIW and Social Care Wales, sets out our long-term vision and actions for the health and social care workforce. We have also developed a shorter term workforce plan to help with the current pressures on our workforce, which the Minister for Health and Social Services expects to publish in the coming weeks.

In conclusion, I would like to reassure the Chamber that reducing deaths from liver disease through prevention and early diagnosis remains a priority for the Government, and I ask the Chamber to support the Government's amendment today. Diolch.