8. Will the First Minister make a statement on the measures being taken to reduce childhood obesity in Mid and West Wales? OAQ(5)0152(FM)

Yes. We have introduced legislation, policies and a range of interventions to improve diets and increase physical activity. But, of course, this can’t be done by Government alone. It is something that we are tackling together with a wide range of organisations.

Thank you. I’ve met with the director of public health for the Hywel Dda health board area recently and she has confirmed that a recent survey has shown that 28 per cent of children up to the age of four are overweight. That’s 28 per cent—that’s an astonishing figure. Another report recently showed that three quarters of children in Britain spend less time in the open air than people in our prisons. Would you agree with me that it would be worth while putting in place a mechanism to monitor children’s weight as they go through school and also to monitor their physical activity, as was suggested by Tanni Grey-Thompson last week?

Well, this, of course, is something that is part of the Donaldson review—namely to say that the purpose of education is to ensure that children are healthy, confident—and will be part of the work that is being done as regards the new curriculum. Health and also, of course, physical activity will be central to the new curriculum structure. At present, about 96 per cent of schools are participating in Dragon Sport, ensuring that children between seven and 11 are participating in sport and there are health-promotion workers in every school, that is every school that is part of the healthy schools network, and they support new ways of ensuring that more and more children participate in physical activity. So, work has been done, but it is vital, as I said, that both health and physical education are central to and put at the heart of the new curriculum.

Question 9—Angela Burns.

Thank you.

Question 9.

Cwestiwn 9.

[Inaudible.]

Question 9 [OAQ(5)0143(FM)] not asked.

Question 10—Bethan Jenkins.