It was wonderful today to attend Dementia Awareness Week—an event outside the Senedd. Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. The goal of making Wales a dementia-friendly nation is one that we all share. Dementia is now the leading cause of death in Wales, and the number of people affected by dementia is expected to rise by around 40 per cent in the next decade.

It is important that we adopt a whole approach, which involves listening to people with dementia regarding their needs and the views of family members, professionals and carers. It is therefore pleasing that there has been much collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Society and the dementia engagement and empowerment project team. Only by collating information, which must be ongoing, can we reach people with such individual needs.

Regarding the draft dementia strategy itself, I have a few questions relating to the high-level performance measures. You have set the target of ensuring two thirds of dementia sufferers have a formal diagnosis. Can you tell me when we may be able to see if this target is realistic and if, indeed, we are going to be on track to reach this target?

The strategy sets a target for the percentage of NHS staff who come into contact with the public also being trained in dementia care. The target is for three quarters of the workforce by 2019, and I’d like to ask when we can expect to see 100 per cent of NHS staff trained in the appropriate level of dementia care.

The Welsh Government rightly want to see a reduction in the percentage of people with dementia who are prescribed anti-psychotic medication. However, you haven’t indicated a target for that reduction, and, granted, there may be a few cases whereby this is necessary, but all the experts agree that we should not be using these medicines to treat dementia. So, Cabinet Secretary, will you be using guidance to ensure that anti-psychotics are only used when strictly necessary?

You have previously highlighted that dementia can strike at any age and, indeed, the role that alcohol can play. We need to better educate the public about the risks of alcohol-related dementia and brain damage. So, Cabinet Secretary, what plans do you have to increase public awareness about the fact that alcohol misuse can lead to dementia? Finally, Cabinet Secretary, what plans do you have to improve access to substance misuse clinics, so that we can hopefully prevent more people from developing alcohol-related dementia in future?

Dementia is one of the biggest health challenges facing our nation, and it is, therefore, vital that we get this strategy right. I look forward to seeing and working with you, Cabinet Secretary, to share our shared aim of a dementia-friendly nation. Thank you.