The first group of amendments relates to tackling obesity. Amendment 3 is the lead amendment in this group. I call on Rhun ap Iorwerth to move and speak to the lead amendment and the other amendments in the group. Rhun ap Iorwerth.

Amendment 3 (Rhun ap Iorwerth) moved.

Thank you, Llywydd, and it’s a huge pleasure to move these amendments formally today to commence our proceedings on the Stage 3 debate on the Public Health (Wales) Bill. We have been here before, of course. But, as this Bill reached this stage on the last occasion, and it was resubmitted in this Assembly, there was no reference at all to the major public health problem that we as a nation are facing. Now, there is an opportunity, through our amendments to change that and to put tackling obesity on the face of this Bill, and to ensure that a strategy is published and implemented to tackle this crisis, because it is a crisis.

I’m grateful for the broad-ranging support that has been given to these amendments today. I’m grateful to Cancer Research UK, for example, who, I know, have been encouraging Assembly Members to support this amendment. The link between obesity and cancer is clear, according to them, but there are too many people that don’t yet realise that. With their figures showing that 59 per cent of Welsh adults were overweight in 2015, and over 25 per cent of children were either overweight or obese, then Cancer Research UK is convinced that having a national strategy will be a means to start to tackle this situation.

Rwy’n falch iawn o fod yn cyflwyno'r gwelliannau heddiw, yn y cyd-destun o fod wedi cael trafodaethau cadarnhaol gyda'r Llywodraeth ynglŷn â hyn, y problemau iechyd cyhoeddus mwyaf difrifol, o bosibl, sy'n ein hwynebu ni yng Nghymru. Ac rwy’n ddiolchgar i'r Gweinidog am gytuno â mi mai dyma'r lle, ar wyneb y Bil hwn, i roi mesurau ar waith i geisio mynd i'r afael â'r argyfwng cenedlaethol hwn.

Mae hwn yn fater yr wyf yn teimlo'n gryf iawn amdano yn bersonol. Ond mae un dyn yn fy etholaeth sydd wedi bod yn ddylanwadol iawn o ran cryfhau fy mhenderfyniad i sicrhau bod y Cynulliad, a Llywodraeth Cymru, yn cymryd camau gweithredu yn y maes hwn. Ray Williams enillodd y fedal aur am godi pwysau yn y dosbarth pwysau plu dros Gymru yng Ngemau’r Gymanwlad 1986, ond mae'n dal i fod yn bencampwr o hyd—pencampwr o ran sicrhau bod ei dref, Caergybi, ac Ynys Môn, a’n cenedl, yn iachach ac yn fwy heini. Siaradais â Ray y bore yma ac mae'n falch ein bod bellach mewn sefyllfa lle gallwn, heddiw, gobeithio, ennill cefnogaeth y Cynulliad ar gyfer y gwelliant hanfodol hwn lle mae rhywbeth sydd, yn ei farn ef, wedi difetha lles ein cenedl ers degawdau bellach am fod yn ganolbwynt i strategaeth glir y Llywodraeth. Os cawn ni’r strategaeth yn gywir, mae ef yn credu y gallwn nid yn unig fod yn genedl iachach a mwy heini, ond yn un hapusach hefyd—a bydd yn arbed arian, mae’n dweud. Ac mae'n iawn, wrth gwrs. Mae Cancer Research UK yn amcangyfrif bod gordewdra yn costio £73 miliwn y flwyddyn i’r GIG. Pan eich bod yn ychwanegu afiechydon fel diabetes math 2 at hynny, a achosir yn bennaf gan ordewdra, yna mae'r ffigwr yn codi i gannoedd o filiynau o bunnoedd bob blwyddyn.

Nawr, gyda'r gwelliannau, gobeithio, wedi’u pasio a'r Bil wedi’i ddeddfu, yna bydd y gwaith yn dechrau, wrth gwrs, o wneud yn siŵr bod gennym strategaeth gref, â phwyslais, uchelgeisiol, ac y gellir ei chyflawni. Bydd Ray—rwy'n gwybod—a llawer tebyg iddo ond yn rhy falch o gyfrannu at y gwaith o lunio’r strategaeth honno. Mae er budd pob un ohonom ni yn y fan yma, pob un ohonom ni yng Nghymru, ond yn gyntaf gofynnaf i chi gefnogi ein gwelliannau heddiw.

The Welsh Conservatives intend to support all the amendments in this section as we’ve been most concerned that the proposed public health Bill had done so little to tackle the issue of obesity. In debate after questions after statement, concerns are raised from all parties over the prevalence of obesity in Wales and the corresponding pressures that illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, which are exacerbated by or caused by obesity, will have on the individual and the NHS. The economic and human cost of obesity cannot be understated. Being overweight or obese can lead to both chronic and severe medical conditions. Over the next 20 years, rising levels of obesity could lead to an additional 230,000 cases of type 2 diabetes, an additional 80,000 cases of coronary heart disease, and over 32,000 cases of cancer.

Over £1 million a week is spent by the Welsh NHS on treating obesity, and it is predicted that by 2050 as many as 60 per cent of men and 50 per cent of women could be obese. With rates of being overweight and obesity continuing to rise, by 2050 this will cost the NHS in Wales £465 million per year, with a cost to society and to the general economy of some £2.4 billion. There are no indications that obesity levels are currently declining, therefore we believe that it is vital that the Welsh Government develop a cross-portfolio solution to tackle this growing challenge.

Although this lead amendment, for which we are most grateful to Plaid Cymru, is a step in the right direction, there are concerns that there’s not the evidence base to underpin a meaningful and effective strategy in Wales. Therefore, the Welsh Conservatives believe it is critical that the Minister should consult and engage widely across the public sector in Wales to ensure that all organisations are working collaboratively together to deliver these objectives. This way, duplication can be reduced, localised challenges can be targeted, and we can begin to develop a more detailed understanding of the complexities surrounding obesity levels and what can be done to reduce them.

I’m very pleased to rise to support these amendments on the need to tackle obesity. As we’ve already heard, this has seen quite a journey in our discussions with regard to the public health Bill, and we’re very grateful to the Minister for agreeing to this fundamental change, having heard all of the evidence that has come before the health committee. As we’ve heard, 59 per cent of adults are overweight in this nation—one in four is obese. And yes, obesity is important as an issue. It’s that link with heart disease and diabetes as well, but, as we heard from Rhun also, there’s that link with cancer. You’re not aware sometimes that there is more of a chance of suffering from cancer if you are obese or overweight. That’s a fact now, and there have been plenty of medical trials that have shown that.

So, obesity is the most timely and pressing challenge facing us at the moment. So, it’s appropriate that our first public health Bill now gets to grips with this significant challenge. Yes, education has a part to play—healthy eating and so on. Keeping fit also has a part to play, as I’ve mentioned before—10,000 steps every day. But, of course, legislating as well also has a part to play, such as legislating to ensure nutritional standards in our food, in our hospitals and in our care homes; and getting to grips with the sugar tax. We do have powers and rights at present, but perhaps we won’t in the future under the Wales Act 2017. It would be good to have the minimum price of 50p on every alcohol unit. We have those powers now, but not perhaps in the future under the Wales Act 2017. So, there are several challenges in this place. It would also be good to restrict the advertising of junk food. So, that combination: education is vitally important, but as we’ve also seen with smoking—. We as doctors and nurses had been educating the public for decades about how bad smoking was for you, but what has made that genuine step in decreasing smoking levels is legislating on the subject, and the ban on smoking in public places. So, education and legislation come together to improve public health standards, and that’s why I’m pleased to see this amendment to the public health Bill this afternoon, so please do support the amendment. Thank you.

UKIP will be supporting the amendments in this group. We found it hard to reconcile the fact that the public health Bill did nothing to address the biggest public health challenge facing our nation—obesity. As I highlighted during last week’s debate on diabetes, it is a matter of national shame that nearly two-thirds of Welsh adults and a third of Welsh children are overweight or obese. We must make it clear that tackling the obesity crisis is a public health priority for the Welsh Government, and requiring them to produce a clear strategy with clear actions is the best way to achieve this. Diolch yn fawr.

I call on the Minister for Social Services and Public Health, Rebecca Evans.

Thank you, Presiding Officer. Tackling obesity is a major challenge to all Governments in the developed world. It requires joint action from a wide range of organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors, as well as from individuals themselves. I am grateful to Rhun ap Iorwerth for bringing forward proposals for a national obesity strategy at Stage 2 of the Bill’s consideration, and for the revised amendments being considered today. When the original amendments were tabled at Stage 2, I indicated that I could see the value in bringing a range of measures together through a coherent national obesity strategy. However, due to some concerns about the detail of the proposals, I was unable to support the amendments in their original form. I therefore thank Rhun ap Iorwerth for agreeing to work with the Government to consider the issue further, and for the revised amendments before the Assembly today. I am confident that the amendments now achieve both our objectives to the benefit of the people of Wales. I am pleased to now be able to support all of the amendments in this group. I am grateful to the Member for taking on board the points I made, and for working collaboratively to further refine the details of the proposals. I am particularly pleased that the revised amendments allow for broad stakeholder engagement and for a focus on prevention. I am confident these amendments will strengthen the Bill by placing the work of the Welsh Government to tackle this major public health challenge on a statutory footing. I am confident the amendments will deliver positive change for the people of Wales, and therefore ask Members to support them.

I call on Rhun ap Iorwerth to reply to the debate.

Thank you, Llywydd. I appreciate that the consensus that has been achieved during the passage of this Bill through the committee stages has been reflected here again in the Chamber. Each and every one of us at the beginning of this journey was aware that we were talking about a problem and a crisis here, and we all wanted to find a way of including it on the face of the Bill. What we have delivered through negotiation and through seeking a joint way forward between ourselves and Government is to ensure that we have reached that objective. I repeat that the challenge now—or the reality now—is that this is just the beginning of the journey. In having agreement to working towards a strategy, then we have to turn that principle into a strategy that will make a real difference. I look forward to seeing these amendments formally approved now, and I look forward to seeing the development of that strategy, which could be the start of the journey to tackling this crisis, which is so damaging for us as a nation.

If amendment 3 is not agreed, amendments 4, 2 and 1 will fall. The question is that amendment 3 be agreed to. Does any Member object? No, so amendment 3 is agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

Amendment 3 agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

Amendment 4, Rhun ap Iorwerth.

Amendment 4 (Rhun ap Iorwerth) moved.

Formally.

The question is that amendment 4 be agreed to. Does any Member object? Therefore, amendment 4 is agreed to in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

Amendment 4 agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.