Through the implementation of the Act, we have set out clear and unambiguous rights and responsibilities in relation to social care and related matters. That includes local authorities having regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities when they discharge their functions. The expectations set out in the statutory framework under the Act also include duties on local authorities to establish and maintain a register of sight-impaired people, and provide them with habilitation services. These duties apply to all people—children as well as adults. 

To help understand the position in relation to adults, the Welsh Government funded the Wales Council of the Blind to scope and consider the services and support needed within this sector, and they engaged with stakeholders across Wales to consider service improvements. The final report highlighted the need for local and national initiatives aimed at providing training for new rehabilitation officers in Wales, as well as supporting existing officers through professional development training packages.

Following this, in May 2022, the Deputy Minister for Social Services met with Wales Vision Forum to discuss some of the issues around the provision of rehabilitation and habilitation support across Wales. Since this meeting, officials within Welsh Government have continued to engage with Guide Dogs Cymru representatives to try and understand more about some of the challenges that exist with regard to access to this type of support for children and their families here in Wales, thus tying in this work to the work already done in relation to adult services.

From this work, we acknowledge that, in some cases, access to habilitation training can be essential in enabling a child to develop personal mobility, navigation and independent living skills. Not only do habilitation officers work with the child, but they also work with the extended family to support them and teach them skills to enable them to effectively support the child to learn key life skills, through listening and touching.

We know that the provision of habilitation specialists is variable across Wales, with some local authority areas having better access to this service than others. We also understand that, like many others in Wales, these services have been significantly impacted by the pandemic. Indeed, I understand that Guide Dogs Cymru have been providing some support for areas with little to no access, and I'm really grateful for the support that they've been able to offer to date.

Therefore, taking account of the recommendations in the report, and further official-level discussions, a letter sent by the Deputy Minister to the Wales Vision Forum last November indicated that the Welsh Government would be keen to facilitate further engagement with representatives of the forum to identify ways to take forward improvements in habilitation. We believe it's important, reflecting the spirit of this debate, for that work to include consideration being given to children and young people's training needs, and how best to meet these. But I don't believe that it's wise to separate out workforce planning from the assessment of need, or to take away the role of developing these plans from those who have the responsibility and practical experience on the ground of social service delivery, and this is reflected in my amendments to the motion proposed.

In closing, I have spoken principally about the role of social care, habilitation and rehabilitation, but health services also have an important role to play. Health professionals refer people with sensory loss to social care at the earliest opportunity to enable them to access services and support when they need it. But it's also vital that they play a role in treatment and care for such loss.

NHS Wales eye and ear healthcare services are delivered differently from the rest of the UK. We have a much stronger emphasis on more treatment and care being available within the community, and our primary care services are underpinned by prudent healthcare principles. This puts a new emphasis on what would work best for patients and makes the most effective use of all available resources across primary and secondary care. Wales continues to be a leader in optometry and audiology provision of services, and the other UK devolved nations follow our lead. Scotland and Northern Ireland are already replicating the work that we've pioneered, and England are now seeking Welsh Government advice. They're particularly keen to learn about developments in primary cluster areas.

I began by acknowledging that we are very aware of the challenges in this area, and I'll end by making it clear that we will continue to work with local authorities and other partners, with the aim of promoting comprehensive habilitation services to support children in Wales. Diolch yn fawr.