1. What actions will the Welsh Government take to strengthen ill health prevention in Wales? OAQ(5)0040(HWS)

We are committed to promoting healthy and active lifestyles to prevent ill health and encourage general well-being throughout life. The programme for government will build on progress to date with measures such as the public health Bill, the Healthy Child Wales Programme and a new Wales well-being bond.

Minister, thankfully, the rates of smoking in Wales have been driven down over a period of years, but, unfortunately, smoking still takes a terrible toll on health in Wales. I believe that public policy and the restrictions imposed on smoking have played a significant role, though, in driving down the prevalence of smoking. A survey this year by Action on Smoking and Health and YouGov showed strong public support for extending the smoking ban as it applies to public places in Wales. So, what plans does the Welsh Government have to build on the success of restricting smoking in public places in Wales?

I thank you for that question. You’re right to point out the success that we have had in recent years in terms of working towards our target of 16 per cent of people smoking by 2020. We’re currently at 19 per cent now, so I think we are certainly well on track to hit that target. Some of the real success we’ve had has been amongst children and young people. For example, in 1998, 29 per cent of 16-year-old girls were smoking once a week, but that’s now down to 9 per cent. The figures for boys would be 22 per cent and 7 per cent. I think it’s really positive that smoking is declining amongst young people, particularly, but also the number of young people who have never smoked is growing and I think that that is to be welcomed as well.

The restrictions that you mentioned certainly play an important role in that. We had, just last Saturday, the opportunity to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the regulations on no smoking in cars. I think that it’s fair to say that there has been a high level of compliance with that, and we are seeing a change in behaviour and a change of culture there. So, looking forward, we’ll be re-introducing the public health Bill, as it was at Stage 3, with the e-cigarette sections removed from it. That public health Bill does contain provisions to cover smoking in school grounds, hospital grounds and public playgrounds. It also provides that Welsh Ministers will be able to add additional spaces, using regulations, and that such regulations would be subject to consultation in future. So, there would be scope to extend that in the future, too.

The National Osteoporosis Society has claimed that more services to help diagnose this condition could save NHS Wales £4.5 million per year. They say that only half of the hospitals in Wales currently provide fracture liaison services for out-patients. Cabinet Secretary, what is the Welsh Government doing to improve the services that could help diagnose and prevent osteoporosis in Wales?

Well, I’m sure that the Cabinet Secretary has heard your comments there, and this would be something that the Cabinet Secretary would deal with. In terms of my responsibilities, I’m really keen to see fall prevention improved in Wales, and this would be particularly of importance to people who suffer from osteoporosis as well, in terms of ensuring that they don’t have a really debilitating fall, which could completely have a very, very bad effect on their personal outcomes, their well-being and so on. So, it’s that effect. We have our public health 1000 Lives Improvement programme, and that contains specific work on fall prevention, which I think is important for people particularly with osteoporosis.