The Health Sector and the Leisure and Sport Sector

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:02 pm on 12 December 2017.

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Photo of Carwyn Jones Carwyn Jones Labour 2:02, 12 December 2017

Well, I can tell my friend the Member for Newport East that the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 places a requirement on Welsh Ministers to publish a national strategy on preventing and reducing obesity, while engaging in physical activity and tackling sedentary lifestyles will play an important role. That work is being led by the chief medical officer, and both the sports sector and health sector are fully engaged in the developing work. We also have, of course, the national exercise referral scheme, a Welsh Government-funded scheme that's delivered by Public Health Wales that's been developed to standardise exercise referral opportunities across all local authorities and local health boards in Wales. It targets patients who have a chronic condition or who are at risk of developing chronic disease, and there were over 28,000 referrals across Wales in 2016.

In terms of Newport, I can say that the total investment into Newport from Sport Wales, for example, is over £610,000—over £0.5 million of core funding, which covers work with schools, community participation, free swimming and other regional work with and through Positive Futures, and £100,000 roughly, which is community chest funding, which a local Newport community chest panel oversees.